Of the Star and the Moon
by gonesiriuslyblack
Summary: A beautiful tale of pranks, Thanksgiving robberies, Christmas truths, failed attempts at romance, laughter, death, and very deep love during the Marauders' seventh year at Hogwarts. SB/RL JP/LE
1. Intro

****A tale of the Star and the Moon, the Doe and the Stag, and other random occurrences during the Maruaders' 7th year at Hogwarts. Mostly the story of how Remus and Sirius evolved, but other characters and plot lines will be thrown in. Rated T for some language and possible implications. Humor and drama will be added at random. Will switch POV sometimes but will try to remember to notify you of these changes. Please enjoy!**  
><strong>RLSB**** **J****P/LE**

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><p><em>Remus's POV<em>

I can remember the first time I ever saw a compassionate side in the stony Sirius Black. It was my second night at Hogwarts; I was a small, frail boy of only eleven trying to adjust to new surroundings and lycanthropic cycles simultaneously. It doesn't matter how long you've been a werewolf, you never fully adjust to it. I can remember that night very vividly.

_1__st__ Year_

Remus lay in his new bed and gazed at the ceiling. His curtains were drawn up tight around him. It was dark; Remus didn't like the dark much, but if he opened his curtains to let the light in, he might see the moon. Remus couldn't stand seeing the moon. It gave him a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach. He imagined popping bones and sharp, searing pains, not being in control of his own mind, the smell of blood – just the thought of his monthly change terrified him.

Remus shivered. He closed his eyes tightly and begged for sleep to come.

The dormitory was eerily quiet. Remus stayed still, hoping for some kind of noise, any at all, to reassure him that the other boys in the room hadn't been murdered in their sleep or eaten by some beast or –

A noise. A growling, snarling noise. That's what Remus had heard. It sounded again almost rhythmically.

Remus's thoughts grew jumbled. _There's a monster in here! What if James and Sirius and Peter DID get eaten? Or worse, what if one of THEM is the monster? What if there's another werewolf at Hogwarts right here in this very room?_

The noise continued, steadily rising in volume. With a strangled cry Remus tried to leap from his bed, but he became entangled in his sheets and landed loudly on the floor. He jumped up and tried to wrestle with them, only to successfully trip himself once again. This time, he found himself splayed across a body instead of on the floor.

"Argh!" cried the soft mass Remus had landed on. It was Sirius.

_Oh thank goodness! The monster hasn't gotten everyone yet, _thought Remus.

"Lupin, what the –"

"Sirius! There's a monster in here! I just know it's going to eat us all and maybe it already got James and Peter but it was making terrible noises and –"

Sirius's hand clamped down on Remus's mouth. He surveyed the air with cold, calculating eyes and listened. The sound erupted once more and Remus jumped, but Sirius's hand held firm. He thought for a brief moment, nodded his head with a slight jerk, and then turned toward Remus with kind eyes.

Softly, Sirius said, "Remus, you're okay. There's not a monster. It's just Pettigrew's snoring."

"…You're sure?" Remus asked.

"Positive," said Sirius.

Remus gingerly climbed off of Sirius's bed and made his way back to his own. "Sorry I woke you up."

"It's okay," Sirius smiled. "Oh, and Remus? If there ever were to be a man-eating monster in our room, I promise I'll be here to protect you. Though I'm sure the beast would be much more fearsome than Peter's pig calls."

"…Thanks, Sirius."

Remus had every faith that Sirius would keep his promise. He rolled over in his bed and fell fast asleep.

_Remus's POV_

In addition to the funny and charming Sirius that everyone else got to see, I saw compassionate and sensitive sides that were hidden most of the time.

I guess little things like that should have tipped me off that Sirius and I never truly possessed a brotherly relationship. He never really treated me like he treated James or Peter, but I was oblivious to my own more-than-friendly feelings for Sirius; how could I have sensed his?

Even if I had seen those hints, I don't think I would have ever expected the different events that lined up to call themselves my seventh year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They were happenings now referred to as the Stag and the Doe, the Betraying Best Friend, and, very importantly, the Star and the Moon.

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><p><strong><strong>This is the intro to the story set in seventh year. It provides a bit of background information to the first time Sirius ever showed a bit of favoritism toward Remus that probably wouldn't have been shown to anyone else. I hoped you like it. Chapter 1 to follow sometime soon!<strong>**


	2. Chapter 1

****September 1st of seventh year is shown from the perspective of five different people (which might just be the Marauders and Lily). A few flashbacks and back stories are thrown in with some perspectives. Takes place upon waking up until arriving on the platform and boarding the Hogwarts Express.****

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><p><em><strong>Remus<strong>_

Remus pushes his way through the crowd of people saying goodbye to their parents. He wishes he could be doing the same with his own parents, but they had been uncomfortable around him ever since he had been bitten by Fenrir Greyback, a notorious werewolf, when he was younger. It was quite sad really. Remus knew they still loved him; he could see it in the little things his mother did for him: bringing him snacks, tidying up in wake of his teenage slovenliness. His father always told Remus how proud he was of his son's genius, how much he admired Remus's work ethic and perseverance through trial.

No, it wasn't that his parents didn't love him at all. The reason was that their son was a werewolf, and, no matter how much time had passed since this occurrence, his parents had trouble accepting the fact that Remus would have a hard life from there on out. Remus had potential to do amazing things, change the world even. But because of one highly unfortunate event marring Remus's childhood, his potential was likely never to be recognized. No one wanted to hire a werewolf; supposedly they were untrustworthy and deadly beasts. Most people seemed to forget that all but one night a month a werewolf was still a human being with thoughts, feelings, and ambitions. Remus would have been one of the hardest working people around, but he had been branded with the word beast for life.

After Remus's accident his parents had difficulty looking him in the eye. He knew they never meant to hurt him; he didn't know what the problem was: if they were ashamed of having a werewolf for a son, or if they were scared that he would lose control and the wolf would take over, or maybe even both. Whatever their reasoning, it hurt Remus that he couldn't do anything to fix it.

After his final year at Hogwarts he planned on moving away from home. He didn't know where he would go, but he didn't feel he could stand the tension in his own family for much longer. Not knowing that he was the cause of it, at least. Remus knew his parents would be saddened by his decision, but he also knew that however sad they might be, it would grant some relief to the poor people who grew old quickly beyond their years with the stress they endured over his condition. In a way, they were like the children and he the adult making responsible decisions that would, in the end, better them all.

So Remus had said goodbye to his parents that morning. His mother stood next to the table in the kitchen and gave him a one-armed hug, afraid to devote too much to him in case something awful should happen. His father patted Remus awkwardly on the back. He walked toward the door and turned once more, calling his adieu and affections to them. They both echoed his love and his mother gave him a teary smile, his father a half-hearted wave. Neither quite looked him in the eye.

Remus had walked onto his front porch and apparated into a little clearing right outside of London about a half-mile from King's Cross Station. He strolled casually along and observed the clouds, thankful for the mild weather and trying to rid himself of the painful memories from bidding his parents farewell before his last year at Hogwarts.

On the platform as he continued to mill through the rushing conflux, he began to observe his surroundings. He hoped for a sign of Sirius or James or Peter, or maybe even Lily Evans at this point. Though he supposed James and Lily would be in an extra hurry to arrive on time to the prefect meeting. It was odd that James had been chosen over Remus for Head Boy this year. Not that Remus was necessarily jealous, he just wasn't sure what he would do with all the free time he usually devoted to prefect meetings and making his rounds.

Finally Remus spotted the shaggy black head he had been searching for. It turned, and Remus saw that Sirius had a scowl on his face. Remus turned to find what Sirius was looking at; Remus locked his eyes on Regulus Black and Sirius's mother.

_Oh. Poor Sirius. He just can't catch a break from that woman. _That wasn't completely true, of course, because Sirius had most likely gone all summer without seeing her since he had moved in with the Potters over a year ago. Still, Remus felt bad for him, probably due to his very loving friendship and empathy towards anyone with misunderstanding parents.

Sirius turned and caught Remus's eye; he cracked a toothy grin, somewhat resembling that of a dog. Remus's stomach did a flip. _Well that's odd. Must be the nerves from a new year at Hogwarts and having to say goodbye to my parents this morning. _Sirius started to walk toward him.

_**Sirius**_

Sirius awoke early to sunlight streaming in through his window and a chirpy voice singsonging, "Breakfastttt!"

He groaned. It felt far too early and Sirius would much rather sleep until noon. However, soon combined smells of bacon, pancakes, syrup, and more wafted up the stairs and hit Sirius's nose, not stopping until his stomach answered in response. He stood up slowly and stretched, knees and back popping from sleeping in one of the twisted shapes he could always be found in when asleep. He threw on some plaid pajama pants and a white t-shirt and then made his way down the hall. He looked into the bedroom next to his to see James still sprawled across his bed fast asleep, his long legs and arms hanging off the sides in all different directions. In a snap decision, he ran through James's room and launched himself, landing directly on top of his sleeping victim.

"Argh! Sirius, ger'off!" James yelled.

"Come on Jamesie! Breakfast is ready! It's our last first day at Hogwarts! You gotta get up! Pleassseeee please please please please PLLLLEAAASSSSEEEE!"

"Okay, okay," James answered upon seeing Sirius giving him puppy dog eyes. "Mangy mutt," he muttered.

"Hey! I am NOT a mutt, thank you very much."

"What's a mutt, Padfoot? Half one thing and half something else? Well, you're half-human and half-dog, so you must be a mutt."

Sirius stuck his tongue out indignantly, but he couldn't argue with James's logic. So he did what any sane person out for revenge would do. He tackled him.

"Sirius, would you stay off me please! I mean, I know this body's fit to ravage and you must be having an extremely hard time controlling your typical teenage boy hormones around my sexiness, but I must insist that I am not a toy to be cavorted with," James told Sirius, trying arduously to control the smirk threatening to appear on his lips.

"…James Potter, I will kick your delectable arse straight out that open window."

"Please, Sirius, not in front of the children," James told him, pointing at the goldfish swimming in a bowl on the corner of James's desk.

"Speaking of the children, Lily Jr. and Devilishly Handsome Padfootfish must accompany us to school!"

"Sirius, I don't remember agreeing to those names. Lily Jr. is okay, but Devilishly Handsome Padfootfish? What kind of nutter would name a goldfish that?"

"This kind of nutter, dear! That's just the way of the world. Now, I do believe there was a reason I rose from bed this fine morn, and it rhymes with 'meklest.' What was it? Oh yes, something your mother said about breakfast. To the kitchen!"

James watched as Sirius ran from the room, his fist raised in the air like he was entering into battle. He grinned and shook his head but decided to follow suit; he took off after Sirius in the same manner.

They ate and then headed to the platform with the Potters. The boys said goodbye with hugs to both and then were left alone. Sirius watched as James ogled a redhead nearby. _Of course. Leave it to James to spot Evans within the first two minutes of arriving._

James called something about a prefects' meeting and then followed after Lily into the crowd in a somewhat distracted manner. Sirius looked through the crowd and spotted a mass of hair that matched his own. He got a bitter taste in his mouth and scowled. His mother was there with Regulus. The woman that had made his life a living hell and, in turn, he hers. Her unjustifiable racism and hypocrisy were too much to withstand. She wanted nothing more than for Sirius to attain a lifestyle of Slytherin himself. He was to marry a rich, pureblood girl and be a sour inbred like most of the rest of the Black family tree. The woman was both emotionally and physically abusive. He was glad to be rid of her, no longer having to live in his family's shadow.

Sirius felt someone staring at him, and he turned and saw Remus. _Remus._ His golden, wavy hair looked absolutely beautiful in the sun. It seemed to reflect rays of light in different directions depending on the way he turned his head. Several freckles popped out along his lightly tanned skin. A thin scar ran down from his ear to the base of his neck; after that if was lost in the collar of his shirt. Sirius grinned at him. It seemed that Remus could make things go from bad to perfect in an instant.

He grabbed his trunk and made his way toward Remus.

"Moony!" he called as he threw his arms around Remus's neck. "Look at my little Remy, all grown up. You must have grown about 4 inches this summer! Look, I've only got about an inch on you now."

"Hi Sirius. I've missed you. People tend to grow when they eat the right vegetables. I'm sure if you ate some you could probably grow about 3 inches and catch James."

"Those green things? You mean you actually eat those? Ugh, no thanks. I'm tall enough. Besides, what little I lack in height I make up for in brawn."

Remus chuckled. He couldn't deny the truth in Sirius's statement, though. Sirius was no small man, about 6'1 with strong biceps and abdominal muscles from years of quidditch. He and James were lucky; most boys their age didn't have those kinds of muscles. Most boys didn't have Remus's muscle either, but most of Remus's was hidden. Though he looked thin and a little on the scrawny side, he never ceased to beat Sirius or James in a wrestling match with the wolf-like strength he secretly possessed.

Someone ran by the two and knocked into Sirius's trunk. Something made a sloshing sound.

"Sirius, what's in your trunk?"

Sirius looked confused for a moment and then with a horrified gasp cried, "The children!"

He yanked at the lock and pulled out a glass bowl with two very dazed looking goldfish in it. He hugged the bowl to his chest and whispered, "Daddy's sorry, little ones."

"...Sirius, why do you have goldfish with you? And why are you calling them your children?"

"Shh Remus they'll hear you! They are mine and James's fish. We adopted them from a crook giving them away as prizes at something the muggles call a fair. This one here is Lily Jr., for James, and this one is Devilishly Handsome Padfootfish, for me of course."

Remus gazed at the fish and then shook his head, suppressing a grin.

"Come on, Sirius, let's go find a seat."

_**Peter**_

Peter woke up on the morning of September 1st on an old, lumpy mattress located in a very cramped room. The Pettigrews weren't as well-to-do as some might think, but they managed to scrape by on their meager earnings. Fearing that this fact might be the one that finally got him kicked out of the group, he had never revealed this struggle to the other Marauders. Perhaps if he would have stopped to consider, he would've realized that this could never be the case; Remus's parents weren't rich either. They spent more than they could afford after Remus had first been bitten by Greyback, and after that point, they remained in a constant debt.

Peter was a bit nervous. He had experienced plenty of first days at Hogwarts, but this one was different; this one signified an end to his education, an end to everything he had grown accustomed to. Where would that leave him at this time next year? Would he still be considered a Marauder, or would everyone go their separate ways? Not being able to sense what was about to happen terrified him. He had been dreading his finale at Hogwarts for years, and here it was, quickly upon him.

He tried to get these thoughts out of his head before they made him hyperventilate…again.

Peter dug through his trunk and made a mental checklist of everything he needed, and then quickly scampered around his small quarters looking for anything he might have missed. He found one of his new textbooks slightly sticking out from under his bed. It had his essay over the history of trolls tucked in between the pages. _That would have been sorely missed when history of magic class began tomorrow morning. _

He quickly threw the book and essay into his trunk and then closed it tight. Peter had to lie sideways across the top of the trunk to get it to latch; it was packed to the brim and had grown contrary in its old age.

With this task completed, he walked down the hallway and found his mother waiting for him in the living room. Mrs. Pettigrew was a very plump woman with tiny facial features to contrast her larger body. She had her hair in neat curls at the nape of her neck and looked at Peter with loving eyes.

"Petey!" she exclaimed, "You look so handsome! I can't believe you're going to be graduating soon! Oh, I'm going to miss you so much!" Her eyes grew watery. Mrs. Pettigrew was an overly affectionate woman who tended to cry a lot, but no one ever blamed her for it because her reasoning always seemed so sincere. She was never mean to anyone and she adored her son more than anything else on the planet.

"Thanks Mum." Peter stood awkwardly and waited for his mother to try to regain control of her tear ducts. "Will it be time to leave soon?"

"Yes, yes dear," she sniffed. "Go and grab your trunk. There are blueberry muffins in the kitchen if you're hungry."

Peter scurried back to his bedroom and grabbed his trunk. After dragging it down the hallway, he tried to determine whether he was really hungry or not; he decided he was. Peter drug his trunk through the kitchen, grabbed two blueberry muffins, and continued to drag his trunk onto the front porch where his mother was waiting for him. They grabbed hands and zipped through time and space together.

Peter stood still and held his head in his hands for a moment, trying to settle his stomach. Apparating always made him want to wretch. Finally it calmed down and the buzzing in his ears quieted.

Peter hugged his mother and she told him she loved him. He repeated her sentiments and then she disappeared. Talking about love always made Peter feel strange. He knew she loved him with all her heart; she would do absolutely anything for him. But, in some strange way, Peter did not love her back. He wasn't sure if maybe some quality in his mother made him not love her, or maybe Peter was just incapable of loving. Whatever the case, he did not love her. He knew it was wrong and would crush her if she knew, so he kept up the pretense of being a wonderfully loving and admirable son around his mother. Perhaps his inability to love was linked to the fact that Peter's father had walked out on them over "financial struggles." When the papers were filed, though, it became apparent that it was because Peter's father had found another woman. After that point in his life, Peter wasn't ever sure what love was and if it actually existed.

Peter stood on the platform and anxiously gazed around for his friends. He hadn't seen them all summer, and it never failed that at the start of every new year at Hogwarts, Peter was afraid that his friends had forgotten him or decided he was no longer worthy to be called a Marauder. The platform finally cleared off some and he was able to spot his friends. James was chasing an annoyed redhead into one compartment of the train, while Remus and Sirius, both grinning, carried on a conversation and filed into a different compartment.

_After all the opportunities to forget me over summer, did they really have to wait until seventh year? _Peter hung his head and trailed after his friends onto the train with a sinking heart.

_**James**_

James yawned loudly. _Stupid mutt went and woke me up early this morning._

It wasn't even noon yet and he'd already had a crazy day; of course, most every day involving Sirius Black was crazy in some way. The boy was a living testimony to the word crazy. James loved him like a brother nonetheless.

He hugged his mother and father and told them goodbye.

"I'm proud of you, son. Make sure to work hard; that Head Boy badge entails new responsibilities to your schedule." His dad linked hands with his mum and began to walk away. "Oh! And kick butt in quidditch this year!" he added as an afterthought.

When they were out of sight, James, predictably, began searching for his unrequited lover. Lily Evans, with her long, slightly wavy red hair cascading down her back. Almond shaped eyes presenting green grass orbs that always looked so beautiful while she was yelling at him. She stood only at 5'7, but she could make a giant cower if she unleashed her powerful vocal chords upon him. Yes, she could faze anyone; anyone, that is, except for James Potter.

James could tell when he was unwanted. Third, fourth, and fifth year James was very much unwanted. Though the thrill of the chase kept him constantly flirting in some way. James was almost ready to give up the chase fifth year. He couldn't understand why he was still trying to win Lily's attention until one day, as he sat discreetly watching Lily laugh with her friends, that it finally occurred to him. Sometime during the chase, James had accidentally fallen in love with her.

From that point on, almost every available second that James had was devoted to winning Lily's attention. He had tried several different tactics: he used every pick up line he could find, he bought her nice gifts, paid her compliments, carved their names together in a heart on the trunk of a large tree. After some of his sweeter strategies didn't work, he tried a different approach. He blew up her cauldron in potions class, stole her undergarments and hung them throughout the Gryffindor common room; at one point he even pushed her in the lake and then jumped in to "heroically save her from the giant squid." He earned a sound smack on the face and constant dirty looks for two weeks after that.

Sixth year, something in Lily changed. James could see that she was fighting something. He changed his tactics once again, resorting to be friendlier and ask her out less. She was very suspicious at first but grew more comfortable with the situation as time passed. Halfway through the year, James stopped asking her out altogether. He thought that maybe she would show some interest and wonder what had happened, perhaps even beg for him to ask her once more.

However, his plan backfired. Lily had been fighting something: new emotions growing for James. She harbored her growing crush for several months, and when James put his plan into motion, Lily was dumbfounded. She didn't understand what had happened. In retaliation, she withdrew her friendship from James and went back to hating him, or, in this case, pretending to hate him.

James hoped to win back her affections this year by proving his maturity; when the Head Boy badge came with his letter over this summer, he realized that this act was being made much simpler. He could've kissed Dumbledore he was so happy! Yes, year seven was to be the year James Potter made Lily Evans his girl once and for all.

He finally spotted her red hair swinging wildly as she hurried for the train. _Worried about being late for the prefect meeting, no doubt. _The sight of her beauty never ceased to take his breath away. He tried incoherently to tell Sirius that he was heading to the prefect meeting, but he wasn't entirely sure what came out of his mouth. He quickly took off after her. _Time to finally bag the girl of my dreams._

_**Lily**_

After arguing with her sister all morning, Lily left her family eating breakfast together at home. Lily's parents had thought it a wonderful occurrence when Lily got her Hogwarts acceptance letter at the age of eleven; her sister, not so much. They were ecstatic for Lily, but after seeing just how upset this made Petunia, they attempted to make it up to her.

Petunia was showered with gifts and praises, and she got anything she wanted when she wanted it. Desperately Mr. and Mrs. Evans tried to win back their pleasant and happy daughter with gifts of all sorts, but it didn't work. The damage was done, and the fact that Lily had a special ability that Petunia did not could not be forgotten. Petunia continued to grow more sour with age, and no matter what Lily did to try to win back her sister's favor, Petunia despised her more each time she laid eyes on Lily.

Eventually, Lily just gave up. What was the point in attempting to mend a relationship that was gone the moment she tore open the envelope to her first letter? Lily gave in to Petunia's constant goading, and they could no longer be in the same room for over two minutes without fighting.

So Lily left alone that morning for King's Cross Station. Just because her sister refused to see her off or even let her parents do so did not mean that her day was ruined. She was returning to Hogwarts for goodness' sake! She held her chin high and carried herself proudly around the platform. Glancing up at a clock hung on the brick wall, she saw that it was ten minutes until the train left. She should be preparing for the prefect meeting! She was Head Girl now; it was her responsibility to lead that!

Hurrying across to the train, she could feel eyes boring into her head. She turned and caught James Potter staring at her. She scowled in annoyance. _Oh, now he decides to take an interest in me. Well, I certainly have no interest in him. He flip flops feelings far too much; there's no way he could ever remain faithful to me. _She turned her nose up at him and continued in her hurry secretly hoping he wouldn't follow. He was, after all, Head Boy now.

The thought gave her butterflies. She had tried genuinely to suppress her feelings for him after it seemed that he had lost interest, but it was too late; she was too far gone. So she quietly dealt with her delude emotions within the confines of her own mind.

James thought the first time he ever saw Lily was on the Hogwarts Express first year. He was wrong. It may have been the first time he ever took notice of her, but it was not the first time he had ever seen her. She remembered that affair all too clearly.

It happened a few weeks before Lily's first year. Severus had gone shopping in Diagon Alley with her family and another wizard sent from Hogwarts to show them how the magical world worked. Her parents scampered off with the wizard to exchange muggle money for magical money and Petunia had followed, her nose upturned to each and every bit of the menagerie surrounding her. Lily and Severus darted into a small side shop that apparently carried supplies in almost any category you could imagine.

They darted to and fro, throwing on costumes and wigs and laughing together. Soon they began to play hide and seek among the rows and stacks of random items. Lily heard the shuffling of books slightly to her right and ran around a shelf attempting to stifle her giggles. When she turned the corner, she collided with a messy haired boy a few inches taller than she. Her long black wig shifted sideways on her head and her overly large nurses' coat slipped off her shoulder a bit. She quickly moved to right them.

"So sorry. Forgive me miss; I should have been paying more attention to where I was going," the boy gave her a slight grin and then continued walking the way he had been heading before the collision.

That had been the first time Lily had ever met James Potter. Their meeting hadn't caused any sort of infatuation for her; James had never even made the connection that the girl in a wig and costume far too large to fit her was the same girl that he had chased around for years. Lily had made the connection though and, somehow, this meeting had never completely left her mind. It was strange how her subconscious could remember something as trivial as this. Perhaps it was trying to warn her of something or present a premonition.

Whatever the case, Lily's interest had been piqued in this tall boy that reacted in a gentlemanly manner when he collided with girls dressed in strange clothes. Even after Lily went to Hogwarts and learned the true nature of James Potter and his band of miscreants, she still had to put forth an effort to hide her interest from him.

And after working so hard on this particular skill of hiding her true feelings, she was about to be put to the test. She gulped and marched onto the train, towards the prefect meeting, the Head Boy, and the imminent doom for Lily Evans that was James Potter.

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><p><strong><strong>Chapter 1 = done. This is the longest piece I have ever written for a fanfiction story. I hope it was worth your time! Each chapter most likely will not include perspectives from so many characters; I felt it appropriate as this was the first chapter and the intro only gave you a small look at Remus and Sirius. I will begin work on chapter 2 and get it posted as soon as possible! Thanks for reading.<strong>**


	3. Chapter 2

**On the ride to Hogwarts Remus is sleeping and Sirius is remembering. This chapter starts with Sirius's memory and then returns to present time.**

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><p>Over the summer James and Sirius fell into the habit of going to a bar. They would apparate just outside of the small town and stroll casually to the front door. On their first visit, the boys were terrified to find that they had to present identification to enter, and, moreover, they had to be twenty-one. In a sudden panic, Sirius flicked out his wand and found that a quick Confundus charm could take care of that problem anytime they needed. The boys snuck out together at every chance they could.<p>

One night as Sirius buttoned up his handsomely pressed dress shirt, James meandered down the hallway in his plaid pajama pants.

"Mate, what're you doing?"

"Well, actually, I was going to go watch a film in my room."

"…What happened to going to Charlie's? Am I to go carousing by my lonesome?" Sirius was incredulous.

"Well, no, that is to say, unless you mean to go tonight, then yes."

"Merlin, Prongs, speak clearly."

"I just don't want to go out tonight, okay? I'll go with you some other time, so if you intend to go to Charlie's tonight, then yes, you will be alone."

Sirius sighed sadly. "Fine mate. I'll go by myself."

James strolled into his room and shut the door. Sirius went to the stairs and checked to see that the lights were off and that Mr. and Mrs. Potter were nowhere nearby. Then he crawled out his window and down a rope made of shirts that he and James had magically linked together. He crept towards the trees and, satisfied that he would not be heard, apparated to the normal spot. He walked through the breezy summer night and admired the view of the stars. He could almost believe that he was back at Hogwarts and in the Astronomy Tower; that is, if the sounds of the city hadn't been blaring in his ears. He turned a corner and found a neon sign reading _Charlie's Bar_ in bright letters, only the c and the i had stopped working.

"Iden—oh, it's you. 'Lo, Sirius. Where's James?" a large man at the door grunted.

"Good to see ya Joe. Ol' Jamesie decided to be a buzz kill. It's just me tonight."

"Well, 'ave fun then."

After venturing to the bar for a few weeks, the large bouncer, Joe, stopped questioning the two boys and began to call them by name. It made illegally entering the bar much easier for the charming young men. Sirius pushed the massive metal door and entered the bar. A thousand different scents assaulted his keen, dog-like nose: heavy cigarette smoke, copious amounts of alcohol, sweat. He walked to a bar stool and took a seat.

"What be your brew?" wheezed an old man from behind the counter.

"Nothing, thank you." Sirius wondered why the old man still bothered to ask after Sirius declined a drink each time. On their first time to the bar, Sirius and James had tried a few of the different muggle concoctions, but nothing could compare to firewhiskey or even a butterbeer. After that, they had silently agreed not to drink at Charlie's.

The boys liked to pretend with each other that the reason they went to the bar time after time was because they were such ladies men. Really, that wasn't it at all. They could have been great womanizers had that been their ambition; they caught more than a few eyes at the bar as it was. But James had been madly in love with Lily Evans for years and Sirius, well, Sirius was rather confused on his view of romance and love and such at that point. No, the real reason the boys enjoyed themselves so much at the dilapidated tavern was because they found it entertaining. Muggles had a strange way of going about things. James and Sirius always enjoyed a good laugh over foolish actions taken by drunken men and women.

Once, Sirius and James saw a man drinking round after round of whatever draft settled his fancy that evening. They decided to keep a close eye on him to see what kind of trouble he would stumble upon. They watched as the man slid off of his stool and approached a young blonde woman on the dance floor.

"Woow-ee. You sure do look mighty fine. If I told you that you had a nice body—" The man fell to the ground completely passed out in the middle of his pickup line. James and Sirius laughed over that one for days.

Sirius scoured the room for whatever unfortunate soul he would keep tabs on tonight. A familiar looking man caught his eye. Sirius started. _What was Remus doing a Charlie's? _Sirius strained his neck for a better look and found that the man was not actually Remus. Their features were almost identical; the same golden waves on the top of his head, the same slightly pointed nose, the same posture; the only thing missing was the scar running down from his ear to the base of his neck. The man turned and briefly caught Sirius's eye before glancing away. _They even have the same eyes. _Sirius's stomach did a flip. It was…disconcerting. The man was definitely not his Remus, but yet, Sirius wanted him to be. _And since when is he _my _Remus?_

The feelings assaulting his head were more than a little confusing. Sirius needed some air. He walked back through the metal door and down the road a bit. It was much less populated than it had been upon his arrival. He turned down an alley and walked through it into a small field.

Suddenly, a yell filled the air.

"Sirius!" Sirius turned, perturbed. Running towards him at full speed was the near spitting image of Sirius himself, Regulus Black. His brother collided into him and they both landed sprawled across the ground.

"They're coming!" Regulus yelled.

"What? Who's coming?" Sirius was slightly disoriented from his brutal contact with the ground, but even more so by the fact that Regulus was next to him.

"Sirius! Snap out of it, they're coming!"

"Who? Get behind me, I'll protect you." Sirius growled, searching for the enemy.

"No you dolt, don't you get it? It's not me they're after."

"Then…who?"

"You." Sirius heard a pop and saw two shadowy figures advancing toward him, one tall and suave, and the other rather plump and short.

Regulus hopped up quickly. "See? Told you I could find him."

"Very good, Regulus," A sneering tone replied that Sirius immediately recognized: _Lucius Malfoy_. The other figure stood slightly behind Lucius and kept his face turned at an angle so that Sirius could not identify him.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Sirius asked evenly.

"I just came to warn you, Black." Lucius replied, "This is your last year under Dumbledore's protection. Then it's off to the real world with you. From this point on if you get in my way, I will obliterate you. I don't wish to cause trouble now; I feel the Dark Lord and we Death Eaters could still use you to serve our purposes should you change your mind about the order of things."

"What makes you think I care, Malfoy?"

Lucius scowled. "Heed my warning, Black. Things may soon come to pass that even you and Potter cannot turn into a joke. Come along Regulus."

Lucius and the other figure disappeared with a loud pop. Regulus stood on the verge of uncertainty for a moment and then turned back to Sirius. There was a dark look in his eyes. Regulus drew his fist back and brought it careening into Sirius's face. Sirius felt his nose break.

"That's for leaving me alone in that damned house, _brother_." Regulus threw Sirius a grim smile and then disapparated.

Sirius groaned and attempted to staunch the blood running from his nose. Under normal circumstances he would have asked Mrs. Potter to heal his injury, but he could not risk letting her know he had left the house; so he set his nose himself. It was slightly painful, but he felt better than when it had been broken.

Now he was able to focus on the real problem: _When had Regulus began hanging around Malfoy and how on earth was he able to figure out Sirius's exact location?_

One thing Sirius did know was that he would not be returning to Charlie's. This was the last time Sirius ever spoke with his brother.

* * *

><p>Remus awoke with a jerk as he landed on the floor of the train with someone on top of him. During his slumber they had arrived in Hogsmeade and had made a very rough stop.<p>

Remus looked up and met someone's eyes. _Sirius. _Remus had never been this close to Sirius's eyes before. They were ordinary enough: gray and pretty bland. But just right of the center of each eye was a little spark that suggested something was there that Remus hadn't noticed before, something that conveyed knowledge and emotion, laughter and concern. Remus's heart was pounding. He felt lost in Sirius's eyes; he couldn't breathe. Why wasn't Sirius moving? _Do something! Anything!_

Finally Remus was able to let out a small cough. "Ahem, I suppose we're here now. Where's Peter?"

That seemed to shake off a little bit of Sirius's stupor. "Uh, not sure." He clamored off of Remus with a dazed expression. When he noticed Remus still looking at him, his cheeks tinged with red. Sirius quickly grabbed his trunk and scrambled out of the compartment without saying a word.

_What was that about? _Remus grabbed his own things and exited the Hogwarts Express.

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><p><strong><strong>I hope you liked chapter 2! I really enjoy telling stories from the past to explain how a character reached the point they are in at the present. I will try to update this story weekly, but I can't make promises because I am in the middle of softball season and at the end of the school year; it's hard enough to get homework done let alone write a story. Oh well. Anyone a Starkid fan? I just found out that the Apocolyptour is coming near me and I will be getting tickets this Tuesday! I am so ridiculously excited! Thanks for reading! :D<strong>**


	4. Chapter 3

****The boys drink tequila to celebrate their return to Hogwarts and Remus gets a little shock he hadn't bargained for.****

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><p>As was tradition, the Marauders always had a small party amongst themselves on the first night back to Hogwarts. This had involved illegal alcohol since the boys' third year. Many wondered how they could go about attaining such a drink, but the realization that this was James and Sirius attaining it put such wonderings out of mind; those boys were capable of anything. Remus and Peter helped too, but they were often overlooked because people thought that Remus was incapable of being anything but being perfect and that Peter was completely moronic, but in all actuality, neither was true. Remus and Peter didn't mind their reputations much, though; they were saved from a lot of punishments that James and Sirius were not.<p>

This year, the boys had smuggled in muggle tequila. When asked how exactly Sirius had been able to procure this, the other boys were given the simple answer of: "I am Marauder, mates." That seemed to be answer enough for them, though Remus continued to squirm a bit.

The boys crowded around a lantern and placed the bottle of tequila in the middle of their dormitory floor and passed cups around. Sirius grinned mischievously as he filled the four glasses.

"All right mates, drink up. The count of three. 1, 2, 3, Chug!" Sirius cried as he poured the liquid down his gullet. He looked around at the empty glasses in a satisfied manner; that is, until he came to Remus.

"Moony! What are you doing, mate? Did you not hear the countdown to chug?" Sirius asked.

"Well, yeah Sirius, I just don't really, uh want to, you know…drink this."

"And why the bloody hell not? It's tradition Moony. You can't break tradition. Next thing you know, Lily will fall in love with James!" James shot him a look. "Uh, sorry mate, you know what I mean. It's just not right! Come on Remus, be a man! Chug the damn drink!"

Remus's face turned bright red. "I am a man, thank you very much. I've got proper working parts and everything." Sirius's insinuation had struck a chord in Remus's confused feelings about manhood and the correct feelings that accompany said manhood. To put it simply, he was confused about his sexuality.

"…I wasn't suggesting that you didn't, mate. I just want you to drink the tequila. Come on, do it for me. Pleaseeee Remy," Sirius whined and displayed his puppy dog look.

"Urgh, fine," Remus snapped. He turned his head back and drained the cup.

"REMUS, WAIT!" Sirius yelled. Remus snapped his head back up to see Sirius standing in front of him wearing a tutu. "Shit, he just drank the worm. James, can't those things cause hallucinations?"

"Bloody hell, yeah I think they can."

"Why is Sirius in a tutu? And why does Peter have purple hair? You guys look funny. I'm just gonna go jump out our window into the giant pit of jello now," Remus stood up and walked to the window. The jello _did _look extra bouncy. He began to climb out.

"Shit, Remus, no!" Sirius and James rushed forward to grab him. Peter let out a hurt whimper at Remus's comment about his hair and rushed down to the common room to sleep. He had low self-esteem issues and never was very bright, not even bright enough to figure out that Remus was hallucinating and hadn't meant to insult him.

"Oh shit, shit, shit. What do we do with him James? He's bloody well likely to kill himself if we let him go."

"Ah, I don't know! You couldn't make bloody well sure that the concoction you brought us all wouldn't end in death?"

"It was an accident! I didn't know it would affect Remus like this!" Sirius cried in defense.

"Merlin's saggy balls! Let's just knock him out and let him sleep through this."

"…Merlin's saggy balls?" James gave him an exasperated look. "Right, right. Ok." Sirius pulled a brick out from under his bed and quickly smacked Remus over the head with it, effectively knocking the werewolf out.

"BLOODY HELL SIRIUS, I DIDN'T MEAN THAT! ARE YOU A WIZARD OR WHAT?"

"Oh, right. Sorry. I panicked."

James groaned. "I am surrounded by morons. Just help me get him to his bed."

Sirius and James dragged Remus over to his four poster and laid him down to wait out the effects of the worm.

* * *

><p>Remus was falling through space. It was very breezy, quite like a fan was blowing in his face. He landed abruptly on the moon, which was made of cheese. Remus stuck his hand in it.<p>

"Mmmm cheese." He licked at his fingers. Suddenly the cheese started melting and transformed into mayonnaise. "NOOOOO!" he screamed. "I do not like mayonnaise!"

"Eat me, Remus," the moon pleaded. "Don't I deserve to be eaten? I did not ask to be mayonnaise. I would have rather been cheese, salsa even! But I am mayonnaise. Eat me!"

"Nooo! I'd rather die!"

"So be it!" The moon shook Remus off and he fell screaming, quickly plummeting through the earth's atmosphere until he reached Hogwarts.

"Yay! I am at Hogwarts!" Remus cried, happy to be home.

"No," he heard a growl. "You are at Pigfarts." A great lion roared and walked up to Remus.

"But you can't just go to Pigfarts! It's on Mars. You need a rocket ship. Do you have a rocket ship?"

"Of course I do!" roared the lion. "But you won't need it to get to Pigfarts. We're already on Mars. It looks much like earth, you see."

"But I must get back to earth! I have an astronomy test tomorrow!"

"What a pity. Yes, I suppose you really must get back to earth then. I was hoping to let you ride around on my back. I am Rumbleroar, and you seemed to be such a good student!"

"I can still ride on your back!" Remus mounted the lion. "Quick, to the rocket ship!" Off the lion bounded and Remus rode him like a jockey. Suddenly, Remus was on the Hogwarts' grounds.

"Wow that was quick. Thanks for the ride Rumbleroar!" Something kicked him in the head and he turned to find a foot sticking out of a tree. Remus grabbed the foot and pulled with all his might. Sirius came tumbling down.

Sirius jumped up and kissed Remus soundly on the forehead. "Thank you so much! I fear I would have been stuck up there forever! Now I can find my long lost love." A gobble sounded in the distance. Sirius looked distracted for a moment and then pulled a pineapple from his back pocket. "Please take this pineapple as a token of my gratitude." Remus took the pineapple and the gobble sounded again. "I'm coming, turkey, my love!" Sirius turned and ran away screaming, a pie balanced precariously on top of his head.

"Shame, that is quite a good looking pie," Remus said longingly.

"I agree. It would have made a lovely dessert," said a cold voice from behind Remus. Remus turned and saw Voldemort standing behind him.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" Remus screamed.

"Don't worry, Remus, I'll save you!" James came running out of nowhere adorned in a lovely blue ball gown. He then proceeded to have an intense stare down with the Dark Lord. Finally, James couldn't take it anymore.

"Ha! You blinked!" Voldemort yelled triumphantly.

"Noooo! Alas, I am dead!" James fell to the ground with his eyes closed and tongue sticking out slightly.

"Haha, victorious! Well, I think I'm done here. Voldemort out, bitches." He leapt into the air and flew away.

A little girl bounded around the corner. "Remus, marry me!" she cried while continuously changing body shapes and hair colors.

"No! I don't like change! Stay away, little girl!" Remus ran away and hid behind a tree until the girl was safely out of sight. He then looked to his right, where he saw Sirius Black shagging a turkey.

"AHHHH! MY EYES! THEY BURN!" Remus screamed. The shock seemed to knock some sense into him.

* * *

><p>Remus groaned. His head was pounding. "Urgh. What the hell?" He opened his eyes and saw an annoyed James and guilty looking Sirius.<p>

"Uh, so, Rem, you okay?" Sirius asked. Suddenly everything came back to him.

"Sirius, you tried to poison me with some hallucination worm and then you hit me with a brick. I will bloody murder you."

"Uh, sorry?"

"Sorry doesn't make up for the image currently seared into my mind forever of you making love to a turkey, Sirius."

Sirius blanched. "A…a turkey? Ew!"

"Yes a turkey. And 'ew' isn't even close, dammit! I will never drink muggle alcohol again."

* * *

><p><strong>I realize that Remus's hallucinations were pointlessly stupid, but every piece of this story fits together to make up the Marauders' seventh year; some chapters just have more of a point than others. This one was purely because if I didn't write it, it would continue to consume different parts of my mind until I finally exploded. Okay, maybe not exploded, but it would have driven me crazy! I hope you liked it anyway. I used a few different things from the Starkid musicals. I had to; no one knows funny like Starkid, plus I bought tickets this past week for the Apocalyptour. Yay! I will try to make the next chapter a little less...stupid. Love, Jada<strong>


	5. Chapter 4

****We meet a few new characters in this chapter, though I'm sure if you've read many Lily/James fics, you've encountered them before. I have character pics of main characters in the story on my profile page if anyone cares to see the faces I am imagining. This chapter starts out about 2 weeks into the new term at Hogwarts and involves a frustrated Lily and a flustered Sirius.****

* * *

><p>"Lily! Lily, wake up!" Mary called.<p>

"Dammit, I swear if we're late because of her I'll—"

"Well Marl, you didn't exactly have to stay. We could've done without you," replied Alice coolly.

"It's just that she's supposed to be the responsible one! She's always been the first one up so that she could wake everyone else," Marlene said crossly.

"It's not her fault we all became too lazy to bother ourselves with waking up on time."

"Still, I just wish—"

"Dear Merlin, would you just shut up already? I can hear everything you're saying!" came Lily's muffled voice from beneath her blankets.

"Lily! We thought you had died!" cried Mary.

Marlene rolled her eyes. "No, we didn't."

"Lily, if you've been awake this whole time, why are you still lying there?" Alice asked cautiously.

"I'm sick." Lily let out an obviously fake cough.

"Oh right. I bet you are. You're lovesick," laughed Mary.

Lily suddenly shot upright in her bed. "No I'm not! There's no one to be lovesick for!" she yelled.

"Yes you are," snorted Marlene. "It doesn't even stop at lovesick. You want to be James Potter's bitch."

"THAT'S A LIE!"

"Oh really? Because you have rounds with Potter tonight, and suddenly you're 'sick'? I don't buy it." Marlene replied.

"I'm not faking it! I'm completely knackered!" She let out another fake cough and all the girls snickered.

"Potter's bitch, Potter's bitch," chanted Marlene.

"Forget it; I'm getting ready for class." Lily climbed out of bed.

"Oh look, a miraculous recovery!"

"Shut it Marlene!" growled Lily.

"Mary, Marlene, why don't you two go on down to breakfast? Lily and I will see you in class."

"Whatever." Marlene exited with Mary close behind.

"All right, now what's really bothering you? And don't try to lie to me; I'm your best friend. I know it has something to do with James."

"I hate it when you call him James."

"Just because you choose to regard him with cold formalities does not mean that I will do the same. Now tell me what the problem is before I grow irritated. It's been a long day."

"You just woke up."

"Exactly," scowled Alice.

"Fine. Marlene was right. I don't want to spend time with Potter. He drives me crazy," Lily groaned.

"He drives you crazy in a good way; he used to drive you crazy in a bad way, but that ended last year. No, don't look like that. You fancy him."

"No, I don't Alice, and I would appreciate it if you would stop insinuating such defamations," Lily glared coldly.

"You're going to have to admit it to yourself sometime; the sooner, the better in this case. It would make everything much easier if you would just claim him as yours now."

Lily continued to glare, and then she picked up her clothes, walked into the bathroom, and slammed the door.

"Oh Merlin. She'll kill us all before this situation resolves itself," groaned Alice.

* * *

><p>The boys were sitting at the back two tables of Transfiguration, Remus and Peter in front, James and Sirius behind. It was very warm and the windows were thrown wide open. Sirius was having a great deal of trouble concentrating. He had already been reprimanded by McGonagall once for having fallen asleep and had been assured that, should it happen again, there would be consequences. Sirius tried continuously to find something to focus on that would help him stay awake. Paying attention to the lecture was immediately tossed out. He had tried to start a conversation with James, but the bloke insisted he had to take notes.<p>

_Stupid James for being stupid Head Boy and taking stupid notes to impress stupid Lily Evans, _thought Sirius.

He was about to pass back into blissful oblivion when a movement in front of him caught his eye. Remus was stretching. Sirius watched as Remus's back muscles became defined; his sandy hair shifted slightly as his muscular arms reached into the air. Remus made a quiet noise and Sirius felt lightheaded. Remus did not appear overly muscular, but when he did things like stretching, his fit body was evident. It was one of the only good things that came from Remus being a werewolf.

Finally Remus was done. Sirius shifted his gaze lower and studied the perfect shape of Remus's arse. It was gorgeous and just the right size, in Sirius's opinion. He continued to study it, wonder what it would feel like. He had an extreme urge to just reach out and grab it, his hand moving of its own accord—

"Padfoot, what are you doing?" James whispered.

"Not staring at his arse!" Sirius replied, startled.

"What?"

"Uh…"

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, what is going on back there?" McGonagall asked.

"Just asking to see James's quill for a moment, Minnie. It seems I have broken mine. Erm, may I be excused? I don't feel well."

"I suppose, Mr. Black. Though, if you please, don't dally in the corridors. Return straight to your dormitory."

"Of course, Professor," Sirius jumped up and grabbed his things, carefully avoiding James's incredulous gaze when he caught Remus's confused one. Sirius blushed and rushed out the door. He absentmindedly ran all the way back to Gryffindor tower.

_Did I just shamelessly check out one of my best mates? What the hell is wrong with me? _thought Sirius as he collapsed on his bed.

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Well, this chapter was a little shorter than some of the others, but it sets a few events into motion. We even got to meet some new characters like angsty Marlene, Mary, and Lily's best friend, Alice. Thoughts?<strong>**


	6. Chapter 5

****This chapter begins on the night where the last chapter left off. Some very big information is revealed in this chapter, and a bit more information is hinted at. Read to find out!****

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><p>James walked calmly through the corridor. He was making his way toward the Great Hall to meet Lily Evans for rounds. She had behaved strangely around him for a while now, and quite frankly, he was severely confused. First she had her cold and hateful demeanor toward him. Then, it turned to being friendly. They had begun to spend a lot of time together. He decided to stop asking her out to see if things could work better between them; he just wanted her to be happy. It seemed that soon after he did this, though, she returned to wanting nothing to do with James Potter. It was upsetting, but he had long grown accustomed to the strange habits of the redhead and he was determined not to give up.<p>

James turned a corner and found Lily standing in front of the entrance to the Great Hall. "Evans," he nodded.

"Potter," she returned without conviction, tenaciously avoiding his gaze.

"Shall we?" He offered his arm as an escort.

"I suppose," she replied while stepping quickly around his offer. James frowned but continued after her. They began to work their way through the castle, constantly checking for signs of any late night illegalities.

"So… how has your time at Hogwarts been so far?" James questioned.

Lily sighed. "Please, Potter, don't make this any harder than it has to be."

"I really don't understand what I've done wrong here. Just last year we were friends! What happened?"

"I don't see how that matters now, Potter. What's done is done; you can't change it."

"Maybe not, but if you told me how I angered you perhaps I could apologize and attempt to make it up to you," he goaded.

"You've done enough. You made it quite plain that I was nothing special last year; don't try to weasel your way back into my favor now."

"What do you mean? I would've thought by now you could have figured out that I've always found you more special than anyone else! It's so obvious; I don't see how you could have missed it!"

"Oh, what? First you lose interest in me and now you're calling me stupid? You used to be obsessed with me James! Something changed!"

"No, wait, Lily! It's not like that! You misunderstood my—"

A loud bang echoed through the corridor.

"What was that?" Lily asked, her eyes darting frantically around.

"I don't know," James said, stepping in front of her, his wand drawn. "I think it came from there." He pointed to a broom closet a few feet away.

"It had better be Sirius snogging some bimbo and not a murderer or I'll—"

"Well if you'd be quiet maybe we could find out," James snapped. Lily glared at him but stopped talking. They advanced forward together, braced in case anything should jump out and try to attack them.

"Okay, on three," James whispered. "1, 2…3. Alohamora!"

Lily had to bite back a scream as she looked inside and saw—

"Remus?" He sitting in a corner, his bum caught in a mop bucket.

"Moony, what the hell? I almost pissed myself."

Lily turned to look at James. "Wow. Real manly."

James returned the look for a moment and then spoke again. "All right. How long have you been in here mate?"

Remus coughed. "A few hours, I guess."

"Well come out of the closet and explain."

Remus's face paled, but he controlled it quickly. "My arse is stuck," he muttered.

"What? Mate, just get up and come out of the closet."

"I'm stuck!" Remus yelled.

James reached down to pull. "Just come on, Moony," he grunted. "You need to come out of the closet."

Something in Remus snapped. "FINE! YOU GOT ME! I'LL JUST COME OUT OF THE CLOSET RIGHT NOW! I'M GAY, DAMMIT!"

James pulled back hard in shock and Remus tumbled out of the bucket. He lay on the ground for a moment and groaned. "Bloody _ow_."

James crouched down next to Remus. "Uh, Remus," he whispered. "That wasn't exactly what I meant… You're gay?"

Remus looked at him. "…Yeah. Are you disgusted now?"

"No. Of course not. You really think after everything we've been through that _this _would change anything?" James grinned.

Remus let out a huff of relief. "And you?" he asked, this time gazing at Lily.

"Oh, I already knew," she shrugged.

"Excuse me?"

"I said I already knew." She let a maniacal grin grace her features.

"Wha—but how?"

"Remus, it's painstakingly obvious. You've been in love with Sirius for years now."

"WHAT?" James yelled, a genuine look of shock crossing his face.

"Of course, you ignorant idiot. You live with him! How could you not see that?"

"Well, I mean… I don't know!" James spluttered. "Well, I guess that would be the answer to why you stare at Padfoot when he's all hot and steamy straight from the shower." He winked at Remus.

"I am not in love with Sirius!" Remus blushed furiously.

"Yes you are," Lily grinned. "But anyway, now to our real question: Why were you trapped in a broom closet for a few hours?"

"Well, uh, you see… I think your friend Mary has a crush on me."

"Yes, I knew that too, but what does that have to do with the broom closet?"

"She, uh, she ambushed me. I wasn't really prepared. I was heading back to the dormitory after potions and she shoved me in the broom closet. I didn't think I was going to be able to get her off. She got a little angry when I refused to kiss her. So she, uh…she locked me in the broom closet…"

A loud guffaw echoed in the corridor.

"James! This is not the time! Your best friend has been locked in here for hours!"

"Yeah, by your best friend who fancies Remus and got mad because he's gay!" James laughed some more. "This is hilarious! Just wait until Padfoot hears."

"NO! You cannot tell him!" Remus yelled, panicked.

"James. You just found out that Remus is gay and in love with Sirius. Do you see why it would be a bad idea to tell Sirius what has transpired?" Lily asked calmly.

"…Yeah, I guess you have a point."

"Please," Remus begged, looking back and forth between the two of them, "please don't tell anyone about my, uh… preferences. You're the only other people that know."

"Of course not, Remus," Lily smiled at him kindly.

"Yeah, Rem, I promise. I'll keep your secret until you're ready to tell people, and then I will stand by your side the entire time."

"Thanks guys. This means a lot to me. I've only really been sure I was gay for a little while now. I'm still trying to get used to it."

"No problem. We love you either way," Lily said. Together the trio headed back to Gryffindor Tower.

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Consider the bombshell dropped! Remus has officially been outed. What a hell of a way, too: he literally came out of the closet! Lily also knew the whole time. Call it a woman's intuition? And James came really close to explaining the truth about why he stopped showing so much interest in her last year. I hope y'all are excited for the next chapter! Please review! :D<strong>**


	7. Chapter 6

****This chapter begins a few weeks after the last chapter ended. I'll have more to say in the AN at the bottom. Enjoy! :)****

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><p>"Men… the time has come to once again state our claim as kings of Hogwarts and prove that our courageous, daring, and dashing selves are fit to be Marauders. It is time—"<p>

"Please tell me this hasn't anything to do with something that will land us in detention for a month."

"Quiet, Remus, you're ruining the mood! Continue on, Prongs."

"Thank you, Padfoot. Now, as I was saying, we must assure the people that we have not forgotten our sworn duty to create mischief, laughter, and lustful sighs from ladies everywhere, maybe a few men as well."

Remus rolled his eyes at James's melodramatic speech. "Prongs, I really don't think we've been given any reason to believe that someone in this castle doubts our abilities."

"Moony, think of the first years!" Sirius said. "What do they know of the infamous Marauders and our beautiful gift to Hogwarts, if not the entire world?"

"Honestly, Sirius, I don't think they're any worse off for not having experienced such a…'beautiful gift.'"

James and Sirius blanched. "You don't mean to say that you think the Marauders should actually follow rules this year?"

"Well, I just—"

"Because that would be absolutely absurd!"

"Remus, I think we'll just have to hear them out. I'm sure they've got it all planned; James does for sure. He always has a plan."

"Thank you, Wormtail. You're a good man. I shall make sure that I wait to trip you last when the zombie apocalypse arises. Now, back to what I was originally saying: I propose we begin work on our first prank as seventh years. We will need the invisibility cloak, muggle water balloons, and access to the taps, as well as means to transport filled balloons from the taps to the small overhang above the entrance to the dungeons."

Remus gulped and Peter shrank away a bit, both excited and frightened at the same time.

"I like where this is going," said Sirius, a slightly malicious smile adorning his lips.

* * *

><p>A week later the boys had gathered all the supplies they would need, complete with a few dungbombs. It was James and Sirius's logic that no prank was ever complete unless it had dungbombs.<p>

Remus watched as James and Sirius tiptoed out of the dorm early that morning, quite content to stay where he was and not be included in the mischief until absolutely necessary. However, Remus had been wary of the time James and Sirius spent alone since Remus's unintentional confession. He was very confident that James was trustworthy enough to keep his secret; how could he not be? James and the others had been keeping the werewolf secret for years now. Still, Remus knew that James and Sirius had a close bond, and if Sirius were to ask the right questions, James would divulge anything Sirius wanted. Sirius Black had an uncanny ability to get what he wanted out of anyone. He always seemed to know just the right things to do and say, and the exact time to strike. It was this ability that always left Remus with regret when it came to the pranks of the Marauders, much like the feeling in his gut this morning. Remus had really hoped that since James had become Head Boy this year, he might cut down on normal shenanigans. Of course poor Remus was wrong.

Remus was in charge of concealing the Marauders during their tomfoolery and was to meet up with them in an hour. There really never was another option for him; the moment he caught sight of the excitement in Sirius's eyes he knew there would be no stopping him.

Remus lay in his four poster for a while longer and then rose to ready himself for whatever was about to take place.

* * *

><p>"Prongs, where did you put the—"<p>

"It's over by the—"

"Ouch, Wormtail, that's my foot!"

"Can you hand me the—"

"Shh, someone's coming!"

The boys swiveled to attention. They were crouched together in the small alcove above the entrance to the dungeons. Hundreds of filled water balloons surrounded them on each side. James quickly tugged at his invisibility cloak and concealed the boys' top halves so that they could not easily be seen.

"Ready yourselves, men. We are about to begin a war which can be won only by those called Marauders."

"Or perhaps the teachers and staff, like those called McGonagall."

"Sod off, Remus. This will be a prank sung about for years to come."

James resumed command of the force. "All right, start levitating the ammunition." Remus snorted but did as he was told.

A second later a large crowd of Slytherins rounded the corner.

"Oh, jackpot!" Sirius did a celebratory fist pump.

"On my count," James whispered. "3…2…LAUNCH!"

A cacophony of screams was loosed throughout the corridor as balloons landed everywhere. As the people in the back of the group saw what was happening to the front, they turned to run but were soon surrounded in the swarm. Not one was left dry.

"Quick, I hear more footsteps! Let loose the second volley!" James shouted.

They quickly did what James commanded; as the next people came running around the corner at the sound of the first commotion, they found themselves assaulted by water balloons.

"Oh shit." James's face suddenly paled.

"What is it, mate?" Sirius asked, but his question was never answered. The Marauders turned to look and gasped almost simultaneously. The victims of round two had come in a much smaller group, and among the leaders stood Professor McGonagall and Lily Evans. Rage was written clearly across both faces.

"POTTER!" Lily yelled and searched blindly for the boys she knew were behind the attack.

The Marauders exchanged panicked glances and then Sirius roared, "Every man for himself!" The four scattered.

Remus climbed up the wall to the floor above him and ran as fast as he could. He could see the general clamor about the castle and knew that the search for the culprits would begin soon if it hadn't already.

"Quick, this way!" A hand shot out of a small hallway and grabbed him by the wrist. Remus looked up to see Sirius, out of breath and completely bedraggled. The sight might have encouraged laughter had Remus not been in a similar state himself.

The boys took off down the hallway and made a right, climbed a flight of stairs, and then Sirius led Remus on toward s the end of the floor.

"Here," Sirius said. He paced back and forth in front of a wall three times and then a door appeared.

"The Room of Requirement…very smart, Padfoot. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Moony." The walked through and quickly shut the door, listening for commotion.

Remus turned; the room was decorated very simply with two chairs facing each other and many tall structures, which Remus figured would serve as good hiding places should anyone unwanted come knocking.

Suddenly a bark of laughter erupted from Sirius. "What's funny?" Remus asked.

"Did you see the look on Evans' and old McGoogles' faces? Priceless."

Remus thought back to the prank and did recall seeing the looks Sirius was talking about. He also began to laugh. "They were pretty funny."

Pretty soon the boys' laughter had escalated into an all-out guffaw. They laughed until their stomachs and faces hurt. Finally, the laughter subsided and only giggles remained. Their eyes met.

"Your eyes…" Sirius murmured.

"What?"

"Your eyes…they're hazel. I never noticed that before." Sirius leaned closer as if to kiss him.

Both boys jumped as a bang filled the room. James was standing in the middle of the entrance, doors thrown wide open, with an expression of extreme panic on his face.

"Potter!" They heard.

"Help me," James mouthed to them both. They watched as Lily appeared in the door, grabbed James by the ear, and all but dragged him away.

Remus turned to Sirius, but the other boy was already exiting the room, maintaining a hurried pace with his head down.

"What the hell just happened?" Remus asked aloud, more about his previous moment with Sirius Black than one of his best friends being dragged away by a more or less very delicate girl.

* * *

><p><em>What the hell is wrong with me? I can't keep my eyes off him. I almost grabbed his arse a few weeks ago in class. I almost kissed him today! <em>

Sirius lay on his bed with his curtains drawn and thought back on the events of the day. The prank had gone well; only James had gotten two weeks of detention because Lily Evans had personally sought him out and dragged him in which, admittedly, had been quite funny.

They had almost all been caught. They left the overhang at the same time but mostly in different directions. Then he had seen Remus.

_Oh Remus. His smell, his smile, his smarts. The expression he gets on his face when he running from trouble. The bewildered look he gets when he doesn't fully understand a situation. The way he throws his head back and laughs. I wouldn't trade Remus for anyone else._

Sirius sighed. A small grin had appeared on his face. _I am just so in love with Remus Lupin._

Sirius shot up quickly, eyes wide. _I'M IN LOVE WITH REMUS!_

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Boom! Sirius, meet your newest revelation. So, what did you think? I'm sorry it took two weeks instead of my usual weekly update! Last weekend I had prom, my best friend graduated, and I went to the Starkid Apocalyptour! I stood for five hours straight for that but it was soooo worth it! I just haven't had much time to update since then, but it should get easier! I have exams this week, but after Wednesday I will be down with school for the summer! Yay! Anyway, now Remus knows he's gay and is trying to convince himself that he's not in love with Sirius, Sirius has been making things increasingly awkward for himself and finally realized that he is in love with Remus, and James just ruined his attempt at winning Lily back for a little while. Oops! I hope you're all excited for the next chapter. Thanks for reading!<strong>**_  
><em>


	8. Chapter 7

****This chapter begins the day after the prank and Sirius's revelation.****

* * *

><p>It was the first Hogsmeade trip of the year, the only authorized outing at Hogwarts. And Remus couldn't find his favorite jumper. It was a light brown color with bold green triangles lined up in rows on all sides. It had a small hole near the bottom from a careless step to close to the wall where his jumper had snagged. It was warm and very soft, and it was quite possibly the most comfortable thing he owned.<p>

"Padfoot, have you seen my—"

"NO! I HAVEN'T SEEN ANYTHING OF YOURS! I HAVEN'T EVEN BEEN LOOKING! WHY WOULD YOU THINK THAT?" Sirius answered in a panic.

Remus gaped at him. "Calm down, mate. I'm just missing my jumper. I wanted to know if you had seen it anywhere."

Truthfully Sirius had seen it. A few days earlier, he had pulled it out of Remus's trunk, intrigued by the smell, and then had forgotten to return it.

"Uh," Sirius gulped. "Nope, no jumper here. Just me and the old, haha, four poster. No Moony clothes. Because that would be weird."

_Weirder than you're acting right now? _"Okay Sirius. I'm just going to keep looking for it then. Let me know if you happen to find it."

"OKAY, YOU CAUGHT ME! It's under my bed. Here, just take it," Sirius moaned as he tossed the jumper to Remus.

"Sirius…why was my favorite jumper under your bed?"

"Because I thought I would leave it there for safekeeping. Wouldn't want it to snag and have another hole in it!" Sirius was very twitchy.

"Right. Okay then. Thank you for your, ah, concern, but I think I will just have to chance it. Jumpers are meant to be worn, you know."

"Too right you are, Moony! So I'll just, uh, I'll just go…now." He turned and all but fled from the room.

_That…was strange,_ thought Remus.

* * *

><p>Sirius studiously avoided Remus for the rest of the day, which Remus thought was quite impressive since they were together the entire time. Sirius managed to stay next to James or Peter or between them, and he never met Remus's eye once. Remus began to grow worried that he had done something. Deducing that he indeed did not smell bad, he began to calculate what could have gone wrong recently to make Sirius so edgy. Nothing came to mind.<p>

Remus was quickly nearing the end of his rope, and Sirius was about to run out of luck.

* * *

><p>"Wormy and I have to go pick up something from Zonko's. Moony, keep an eye on Padfoot. You know how he gets when he's excited, and we wouldn't want him to wet himself."<p>

"Why can't we just go with you?" Sirius asked, quickly glancing at Remus and then redirecting his gaze toward James.

"Because, mate, this is important."

"You cannot keep me imprisoned with the werewolf!"

"Imprisoned with the werewolf? Really Sirius? The werewolf takes offence to that."

"Padfoot, it is almost your birthday. Therefore puppies are not allowed to go with Wormtail and Prongs."

Sirius pouted. "But I—"

"No buts, Sirius. Go somewhere with Moony. Now." James roguishly winked at Remus, who in turn wanted nothing more than to murder the sex haired git.

Remus sighed. "Come on, Sirius. Let's just go back to the castle."

Sirius quickly turned and walked away, maintaining a steady pace about ten feet in front of Remus. Remus allowed this to persist for about fifteen minutes, and then he got angry.

"Dammit, Sirius! Will you at least tell me what the hell I've done wrong?"

Sirius stiffened and turned slowly, a slightly guilty look on his face. "You haven't done anything wrong. Why would you think that?"

"Why would I—Sirius, you have been acting like I don't exist all day long! Don't try to deny it, you know you have!"

"I don't—damn it, Remus. I'm sorry. You haven't done anything. It's me. I've got this—this problem, and I thought maybe avoiding you might fix it. But it hasn't."

"What kind of problem do you have that could be fixed by avoiding one of your best mates?"

"I—it's nothing, really. Very stupid. I can deal with it myself; I'll just have to figure out how to sort it. Forgive me?"

Remus huffed. "Always. Even if sometimes you are a big idiot."

"Thanks Moony. I'm a big idiot all the time," Sirius grinned.

Remus allowed himself a small laugh. "I know. And about this problem: I'm always here if you find you can't sort it out on your own." They began to walk together. "Oh, and Padfoot?"

"Yeah?"

"If you ever unjustly ignore me like that again, I'll hang you up by your intestines _before _I ask you what the problem is."

Sirius gulped, and then chuckled. "Yes ma'am!" he saluted. Remus kicked him in the shin.

* * *

><p><strong><strong>I'm sorry this chapter was so short, but I need to move on and I felt like I should first address how Sirius would handle his feelings for Remus. I could've let it go on for weeks, but I feel that Remus's lycanthropy and current feelings for Sirius himself would not allow him to handle Sirius's treatment for that long, and that Remus would quickly grow angry. At this point of the story, we are somewhere near the end of October, which is strange considering it is almost June right now. :D<strong>**


	9. Chapter 8

****This chapter begins on Halloween evening/night at Hogwarts. The dialogue is a bit confusing, but for the most part you can follow who is speaking; I was trying to create a hectic mood. Please enjoy!****

* * *

><p>"Sirius, can you please pay more attention to where you're aiming that? You almost hit me."<p>

"Sorry, Moony."

"Bloody ow! Sirius, really!"

"Come on, Padfoot. That's dangerous; you're going to kill a Marauder, mate. That's not on."

"Yeah, yeah. Once again, sorry, Moony."

"Just put the bloody thing away before you blast off my arse."

"But Remus, I—"

"Potter, a word?"

"Yes, Lily?"

"Oi, McKinnon, looking good."

"Thanks, Black."

"I've noticed that you've seemed to be shirking your duties as head boy lately."

"You too, MacDonald." He was answered with an eye roll.

"Padfoot, would you sod off? I'm trying to have a conversation here… shirking how exactly?"

"Well…that prank! Honestly! And…and you're referring to the first years as 'midgets!' And—"

"Really, Lily? I thought that when you asked us to come here for backup, you might actually have a legitimate reason." She snorted something that vaguely sounded like '_Potter's bitch_.'

"It is a good reason! Wh-where's Alice, anyway?"

"She's off snogging Longbottom. Whoa. Hahahahaha, snogging _longbottom_. That sounds hilarious!"

"Sirius, do shut up." Sirius's second eye roll, this time from Remus.

"Wow, Evans, I've got you so torn up inside that you can't even keep up with your best friend anymore. _Tragic_."

"Oh, really? If you're so much better off, where's Peter?"

"…oi, where is Peter?"

"I swear, you're all such—"

BOOM! The lights went out, and everything was fuzzy.

* * *

><p>"Ow. Merlin, what was that?"<p>

"Remus? Remus, is that you?"

"Mary?"

"Yes!"

Remus sat up rubbing his head. "Where are we?"

"I don't know; I can't see anything."

"Hold on, I'm going to see if I can find my wand." Remus rummaged around for a moment before his hand located a hard, thin stick.

"_Lumos._ There we are. But, hullo, where is there?"

Remus and Mary glanced around. They were sitting in the middle of what seemed to be a large cave.

"How the hell did we get here?" Remus looked at Mary.

"And more importantly," she responded, "how the hell do we get out?"

* * *

><p>"OWW! Bloody, ow! What is on top of me?"<p>

"Black, is that you?"

"Bloody hell, McKinnon! What have you been eating? Damn, you're heavier than you look!" A sound smack was placed across Sirius's cheek. "…Okay, I deserved that. But don't get testy with me, woman! Stupid things come out of my mouth when I panic!"

"Stupid things come out of your mouth anyway, Black. Man up. I'd like to know where the hell I am."

"Uh, yeah, right. Location. It's important. So, uh…what now?"

"Oh, Merlin, you're an idiot. _Lumos._"

"Oh, right, magic. Probably would've been a good start."

"…_probably_. Okay, so we are…"

"In the Forbidden Forest."

"How can you be sure?"

"Just trust me on this one. I may be an idiot sometimes, but I know my way around Hogwarts. It looks like we are…shit, about 3 miles away from the castle."

"What's three miles to a toned quidditch player?" Marlene asked, running her fingers lightly up his arm.

"It's a hell of a lot when you're in the Forbidden Forest and it's _night_."

"Oh. Shit."

"Yeah.."

* * *

><p>"I'm dead. Oh, Merlin, I'm dead, aren't I? Nooo! I'm too young to be dead! I had so much life—"<p>

"James Potter, _get ahold of yourself_."

"Lily? Oh Merlin, Lily's dead too!"

"We are not dead! Something happened when we heard that noise and the lights went off; we were transported somewhere."

James sat up, suddenly more attentive. "Somewhere outside of Hogwarts?"

"No, I….I don't think so. This feels like a brick here, see?" She found his hand and guided it to the spot she had felt.

"Yeah, it does. Evans, are you holding my hand?"

"Focus Potter!"

"Right, yeah. Okay, so the wall runs from here to—_ow_. There. It's very small. Maybe about four foot wide, five foot the other way, and—_ow_! Okay, I got about 3 feet up, but I really think that's a shelf. It seems to me like we've been conveniently transported to _a broom closet_."

Even in the dark, Lily could sense him wiggling his eyebrows in her direction. "Don't get any ideas, Potter. If you push it, I may end up being the only person trying to escape here."

"You're already the only person trying to escape here, Evans. Muahahaha! _Ow. Ow!_ Bugger! Okay, I'm done! I'll help in the escape cause! Just stopping beating me, woman!"

"Good choice."

* * *

><p>"Frank, what was that noise?"<p>

"I don't know, and right now, I really don't care." He leaned in to recapture Alice's lips.

"Oof! What the hell?" Frank said as something very heavy and slightly rounded landed on top of him.

"You've got to be kidding me. Pettigrew?" Alice asked.

"Uh, hullo Alice. Longbottom."

"Hullo, Pete. Not to be rude or anything, but could you, oh I don't know, get off of me?"

"Uh, yeah, right, will do. Sorry about that," Peter answered as he briskly climbed out of Frank's lap.

"Well, now that we're all settled, it would be extremely nice if you could leave," Alice said coldly.

"Well, it's dark and I'm alone and I was hoping maybe I could just stay here with you guys for a while…"

"Are you serious right now? Beat it, Pettigrew!"

"Yes, ma'am, right away ma'am!" Peter said as he ran quickly back to his dormitory, climbed onto his bed, and promptly fell asleep for the rest of the night.

* * *

><p>"Let's see. I think we should keep going this way," Remus told Mary as he took in the smells from the cave and tried to locate an exit.<p>

"Are you sure we're not heading deeper into the cave?"

"Positive. I've got a very powerful sense of smell and my hunches are usually always correct."

"Okay. I'll just follow you, then. But I swear if we're not out of here soon, I'm going to have to kill you in your sleep."

"…right, well then, we'll just hope for the best, shall we?"

* * *

><p>"This tree looks <em>very <em>comfortable. I bet it would be fun to _experiment _with," Marlene said in the most seductive voice she could muster.

"Uh-huh," Sirius answered in a detached tone.

"Really, I'm just _dying _to try something."

Sirius finally stopped walking and let out a huff. "McKinnon, look, I—"

He wasn't able to finish what he was saying. As soon as he turned around, Marlene tackled him and pressed her lips to his.

Sirius pulled away as soon as he regained his senses. "McKinnon!" he gasped.

"Come on, Black! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Well, if you haven't noticed, we're kind of _lost in the middle of the Forbidden Forest_. If you stopped trying to bloody seduce me, we could get out of here much faster."

Marlene's lips screwed up like she was about to cry, but she quickly swallowed the urge.

Sirius softened at the sight. "Look, Marlene…you're a great bird. Any guy would be lucky to get a chance with someone as gorgeous and amazing as you. You deserve a great bloke who can treat you right. But that's…that's just not me. I'm sorry."

Marlene looked utterly helpless for a moment, but then suddenly stood up, rage evident on her face.

"Whatever. I don't need your help to get out of these bloody woods. I can do it by myself."

"McKinnon, wait!" he called, but she had already disappeared in the trees. He groaned and let his head flop back against the ground. _At least she's heading in the right direction._

_So Sirius Black is too in love with some slut for me, huh? I can fix that_, Marlene thought as she headed determinedly back towards the castle.

* * *

><p>"So…you want to play a game? How about I Spy?"<p>

"James, how the hell are we supposed to play that? I can't see anything. _It's dark._"

"You called me James."

"Well, yes, that is your name," Lily said in an exasperated tone.

"Uh, right. Well, what about Truth or Dare?"

"Fine. Whatever," Lily huffed.

"Okay. Truth or Dare?"

Lily considered for a moment. "Truth."

"Do you think I'm handsome?"

_I can just humor him in this game. I don't really have to answer truthfully. _"N-YES!" Lily squeaked. That was definitely not what she meant to say.

James chuckled. "Tried to lie, huh? The Truth or Dare gods don't like cheaters."

"…You spiked my pumpkin juice with veritaserum today at lunch, didn't you?"

"…maybe…"

Lily groaned. _Well, there's nothing I can do about it now. I just have to avoid truths._

"All right. Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," James answered smugly.

Lily grinned. "I dare you to not pull any pranks for the next two weeks."

James let out a strangled cry. "But Lily!"

"Not buts. You chose dare. You have to do it."

James hung his head. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

><p>"I knew I shouldn't have followed you. You're not as smart as everyone thinks, are you?"<p>

Remus sighed but otherwise continued to ignore Mary.

"Of all the people I could be stuck somewhere with, it had to be you."

"I could say the same thing," Remus retorted.

Mary snorted. "I can't believe I used to have a crush on you. But that was before I found out you didn't roll that way."

"Roll what way?" Remus scoffed.

"Oh, _you know._ Roll my way. Oh, come on. I'm talking about before I knew you were gay."

"What?" Remus screeched as he came to a halt. "I—what? How did you find out I was gay?"

Mary shrugged.

"Who told you?"

"You did. Just now."

Remus groaned and smacked himself on the forehead. "I—just don't tell anyone, please."

"Whatever. Everyone will find out soon enough anyway. If I noticed, other people will too."

"Well just—Mary, is that a light? We found it! See, I told you I could get us out of here!" They both took off running for the opening of the cave until they were finally standing in the moonlight, looking down over Hogsmeade.

"We made—"

BOOM!

_Oh no, _thought Remus, _not again._

* * *

><p>"Oof! What the—oh, well hullo, Moony. Fancy meeting you here," Sirius said while wiggling his eyebrows at the boy lying precariously on top of him.<p>

"No. I had just made it out of the cave," Remus groaned.

"Hey, you could at least be a little grateful and acknowledge your best mate who so kindly cushioned your fall out of thin air."

"Yes, yes, thank you, Padfoot."

"You're welcome, Moony. And by the way you're still positioned on top of me, I feel like you're finally ready to take the next step in this relationship. I had _no idea _you felt this way about me. I am just so happy!" Sirius said as he comically slung his arms around Remus and kissed the top of his head.

"Padfoot, this is no joking matter. I'm tired of this Halloween prank."

"Yeah, me—Prank? You think this is a prank? No one in Hogwarts is supposed to be pranking except for the Marauders!"

"Yes, well, it looks like the tables have finally turned."

"Nooooooo!" cried Sirius dramatically.

* * *

><p>"Mary?"<p>

"Marlene?"

"Finally, some good company!"

"That's what I'm saying!"

"We can make it back to the castle in no time. Look, I can see it from here."

"Oh, thank Merlin!"

"Seriously. This has been some crazy shit."

"So, how has your night been?"

"Oh, you know…nothing special," Marlene answered.

"Yeah, same here," said Mary.

"Right, well, let's get going so we can get back soon!"

* * *

><p>"…After all that happened with Petunia, I just don't feel like I belong with my family anymore."<p>

"Wow, Lily. I'm so sorry; I had no idea."

"Yeah, well, now you know." She cleared her throat. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth," James replied.

"I have to know…Is there anything more to Sirius Black than the joking idiot I always see?"

"Tons more. You just don't know. That joking idiot hides more pain than most of the rest of us can even imagine. He's the black sheep of his family. I know he'd have my back no matter what happened. When he left his family to come live with me… I really don't know how to even describe it. It was the first time I ever saw Sirius Black truly broken. It made me understand a lot more of the hidden depths in his personality. He's just trying to make other people think that he's always happy so that the rest of the world can't see a weakness and kick him while he's down. Sirius is one of the strongest people I have ever met, and I couldn't have asked for a better best friend."

Lily smiled. "I don't think he could've asked for a better best friend either."

"Truth or Dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you to…kiss me," James said quietly.

So she did.

* * *

><p>"Hey Marl, did you know Remus is gay?"<p>

"Yeah, I figured. Woman's intuition, you know?"

"Yeah. I really want to know who it is though.."

"Who what is?"

"The boy Remus is in love with," Mary answered.

Marlene stopped suddenly as the answer hit her.

"It's Sirius! Sirius and Remus fancy each other!" Everything seemed to make more sense to Marlene after that. There wasn't anything wrong with her that had made Sirius reject her; he was gay! She forgave him instantly for turning her down in the Forbidden Forest.

Mary giggled. "Oh, I just love secrets!"

"Me too," Marlene said as she opened the front door to the castle. "And I'm really glad we're done with this little adventure."

* * *

><p>Remus's foot caught on a tree root and he went stumbling towards Sirius, landing directly on top of him.<p>

"Oh, Merlin! I'm sorry, Padfoot. That's the second time tonight I've landed on you."

Sirius groaned. "No problem," he gasped. "I just don't think there will ever be any Black grandchildren from my line. Just, ugh, just give me a minute here."

Remus waited for Sirius to move and then together the finished walking back to the school.

"Well, as much as I just _absolutely adored_ this adventure, I'm glad it's over," Sirius said as he and Remus walked down the hallway toward Gryffindor Tower.

* * *

><p>Lily pulled away from James. "Are those voices? Do you hear voices?"<p>

The both began pounding on the door and screaming for help.

* * *

><p>"Help!" Shouted some voices from behind a door that was being heavily pounded on.<p>

"Whoa! Someone's trapped in there!"

"Yeah, no kidding, Padfoot. _Alohamora._" James and Lily came tumbling out into the floor.

"Oi, look here, Moony. It seems we've found a couple out for a snog. Way to go, Prongs!"

"Don't be daft, Black. We've been trapped in that closet for hours!"

"Uh, Lily, I think it's been more like an hour. That's when we were all scattered," Remus pointed out.

"How did all this happen, anyway? Who did it?" Sirius asked.

"It was me," McGonagall said as she rounded a corner, a sly smirk on her lips. "I wanted only to show you boys that you are not the only ones at Hogwarts that are capable of pulling jokes on others. It was rather unfortunate that the girls were standing near you when each spell took place; they were also sucked in with the magic. I had only intended to place each boy in a separate spot. Oh well. By the by, it was quite fun. You can close your jaw now, Mr. Black; you're going to collect flies. Happy Halloween."

Sirius snapped his jaw shut as McGonagall sauntered around the corner.

"I can't believe it…McGoogles did all this?" James said incredulously.

"That woman has a hidden mischievousness in her," said Remus.

Sirius's shoulders sank and he headed sadly back to the common room with the rest of the group, outdone by a teacher.

* * *

><p>Later that night, Sirius still lay on his bed. He was completely disheartened by what McGonagall had done. Suddenly, he heard a scuffling noise and someone came flailing through the air and landed directly on top of him.<p>

"Bloody ow! Really, Remus?"

Remus looked up at Sirius sheepishly and shrugged. "Third time's a charm?"

* * *

><p><strong><strong>I know it took me two weeks to update instead of my usual one, but this chapter is super long and makes up for it...right? In any case, please forgive me for taking so long. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter and all the little events. Happy Halloween!...in June... :D<strong>**


	10. Chapter 9

****Here we begin in mid to late November with Lily and James in some drama, followed up with our favorite boys on an adventure schemed up by the lovable Sirius Black.****

* * *

><p>"Come on, James! It's after curfew. We need to go."<p>

"But Lily! We were having so much fun!"

"No. Now."

"Okay," James replied, his shoulders slumping as he reluctantly followed Lily out of the broom closet. "So…what exactly does this say about us?" he asked sheepishly.

"Us? What do you mean?" she said, coming to a complete stop and whirling around quite suddenly.

"Yeah, us. You know. Are we officially _dating _now?"

"No. Absolutely not. Do not get any ideas about this being more than it actually was. We were just snogging. We are not together, and you will tell no one this happened," Lily said coldly.

"Wh-what?" he answered, dumbstruck.

"You heard me."

"You've got to be kidding me!" he shouted, coming out of his stupor. "You agree to—"

"James, be quiet!"

"—meet me and we stay out—"

"You're going to get us caught!"

"—after curfew _snogging_—"

"Please, James! I don't want to get in trouble!"

"—and you expect me to believe—"

"Oh Merlin!"

"—that it meant absolutely _nothing _to you?"

"Oh do quiet down! Filch will catch us."

"I don't bloody care!"

She sighed. "Look James, we were just having a bit of fun. I don't…I don't feel the same way about you that you feel about me. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to hurt you."

"That's absolute shit, Lily Evans, and you know it." He glared at her. "I'm tired of playing games with you. As a matter of fact, I'm _done _playing games with you. I've tried so hard to be everything you've asked me to be, to be there for you, and to _grow up_! I've done my growing up; it's your turn."

"James, I—"

"No. No excuses. When you're ready to woman up and accept that you love me too, come find me. I'm done waiting around for your every whim." He turned and stormed away, leaving Lily alone in the shadowy hallway.

"James…" she whispered as she wiped away the tear that rolled down her cheek.

* * *

><p>"Moony. Moonnnnyyyyyy." Remus rolled over, ignoring the voice and attempting to return to his slumber.<p>

"Moony. I know you hear me, Remus Lupin! Get up!"

"Padfoot, it's four in the morning!"

"Yes but Remus, my tummy is _talking _to me!"

Remus opened his eyes and stared strangely at him for a moment. "Sirius, I think that is a personal problem."

"No, Remus, not that! I mean I'm hungry."

"And what do you want me to do about that?"

"Accompany me to the kitchen of course, my good werewolf!"

Remus glared at him. "Why me? Why not James?"

"Because, you are the only one left for me in this world!" Sirius cried dramatically. "…and James hit me when I tried to wake him up."

"Right then. I guess it's out of the question for you to wake Wormtail."

Sirius looked incredulous. "Remus, he'd eat us out of house and home if taken to the kitchen this early! Plus his feet plop very loudly on the stone. It echoes. Can't have Filch or Mrs. Norris on the trail of a hungry, overgrown rat."

"Are you still referring to Peter, because I do believe that last sentence applied to yourself."

Sirius stuck his tongue out. "Tosser."

"That is not the way to get me out of bed."

"What if I wanted you _in _bed?" Sirius asked, comically waggling his eyebrows and making lewd motions with his mouth.

"Sirius!" his voice crackled. "Just move," he said, shoving Sirius slightly so he would have room to stand.

"Right. To the kitchen! Muahahahahaha!" Sirius cackled, but realized he was being watched and replaced his sneer with an innocent expression immediately.

* * *

><p>Sirius tickled the painting of the giant pear and entered the kitchen with Remus in tow. "We made it!" he said. He looked around at all the staring house elves and suddenly cried, "Hands in the air; this is a stickup!" He pulled his wand out of his pocket and pointed it menacingly at the house elves.<p>

"Sirius, what the hell are you doing? You'll frighten them to death!" Remus said, outraged and secretly a bit terrified.

"They can go back to work as soon as they tell me where it is!" he cried, still holding the elves at wand point.

"Where what is, Sirius?" Remus asked exasperatedly.

"The turkey, that's what!"

"We's don't gots any turkeys, Master Black. We's can make you something, if it pleases Master Black," said one brave house elf not directly in Sirius's line of deadly gaze.

"I know you have it! You must have! I _will _have that turkey!"

"Padfoot, what are you on about?"

"The Thanksgiving turkey, of course!" Sirius said as though it were the simplest answer in the world. He pulled out a rolled up parchment. _Where did that come from?_ It had two men of different color and dress shaking hands while surrounded by food. A large roasted turkey sat on the middle of a table next to them. "See? The Thanksgiving turkey," he said, pointing at the roasted bird. "Today is Thanksgiving. I thought someone as smart as you might know that, Moony."

"Sirius…" Remus huffed and tried very hard not to smack his head against a side wall repeatedly. "Thanksgiving is an _American _holiday."

"What?" Sirius asked, disbelieving.

"Have you ever celebrated Thanksgiving anywhere before?"

"Come to think of it, no. I really wanted that turkey," Sirius said. The house elves used Sirius's distraction to quietly return to their work.

"I'm sorry, mate. It's just not our holiday."

Sirius sniffed. "Oh, Moony… HOLD ME! My heart is breaking! I feel its emptiness!" Sirius cried as he flung himself into Remus's arms.

"There, there," Remus said as he awkwardly patted Sirius's head. "I'm sure that's just your stomach. We can fix that by getting something else to eat."

"No, Remus! I shall never be able to eat again! I'm distraught!"

"Look, Padfoot, I see a nice fresh pie," Remus crooned enticingly.

"Remus, how could you even suggest—did you say pie?"

"Oh yes. It looks quite delicious."

"Well let's have some then!"

"There's a good boy!" Remus said, leading Sirius toward the heart lifting food. "Let's get that tummy filled up!"

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Well, I hope you enjoyed that. These next two or three weeks are going to be really hectic for me. I will try to update regularly, but I can make no promises. Very sorry! Please review if you wish to and have time! :)<strong>**


	11. Chapter 10

****This chapter begins a week after the Thanksgiving Hold Up Incident (poor little Sirius). It focuses mostly on Lily and James, with a little bit of Marlene on the side.****

* * *

><p>It only took a week. A week for Lily Evans to finally break down. She had secretly hoped that it might take longer, that perhaps she could summon the immunity to James Potter's charms that she had possessed only a few years prior. But she couldn't do it. That immunity was gone, long since replaced by a strange new feeling; a feeling she despairingly deemed later as love.<p>

A week later this is how Marlene McKinnon stumbled upon Lily Evans.

* * *

><p>Marlene threw open the door to the seventh year girls' dormitory and gently closed it behind her; she had thought about slamming it, but she decided that her badassery had stirred up enough commotion for at least the next few minutes. There was never a dull moment with Marlene. She was Sirius Black in female form. Of course, she hadn't always been that way. She naturally possessed the same attitude and need to be the best, but the rest she had added. She was mischievous and haughty, known by many as a tramp. She was brilliant, but she refused to push herself. After watching Sirius for a few months through first year, Marlene decided that he was everything she wanted to be. She imitated him as much as possible, but a forced personality never comes as easily as a real one. Now, nearly seven years later, she had shaped her person to mirror his completely. She had made his personality her own, and she doubted she could find the sweet little ten year old that had always helped mommy bake cookies the muggle way even if she wanted to. No, Marlene's path was set. There would be no going back.<p>

She crossed the room and headed toward her four poster. She grabbed a chocolate bar from Mary's trunk and munched on it as she sat down on her bed, figuring Mary would be too daft to notice. She propped her feet up in front of her and flicked a piece of grass from the bottom of her combat boots, then laid back with a sigh. _What a glorious day to skip History of Magic. I should make a habit of this. Oh wait—I already did. _She chuckled at herself, not even completely sure what was funny. But if Sirius Black chuckled to himself, so did Marlene McKinnon. They would have been absolutely perfect for each other, had Sirius not been gay, of course. Marlene was a bit put out over that for a few days, but she eventually got over it, reveling in her newly found secret.

Marlene looked down at her now empty hands, covered in stolen chocolate and quite sticky. She climbed off of her bed and walked toward the bathroom, when she saw a flutter in the closings around the four poster across the room. She stopped.

"Evans?" she called. She was promptly answered with a loud sniff. _Evans skipping class? What the hell has gone wrong with the world? _She walked over to the bed and tugged back the curtains. The sight that greeted her was not pretty.

Lily lay curled in a ball surrounded by used tissues. Her eyes were red and slightly swollen and her normally vibrant hair was dull and matted.

Marlene started, quite shocked by the dishevelment that surrounded the girl that was normally completely in control.

"Evans? What the hell happened to you?"

"It's none of your—" Lily started to snap, but then thought better of it. "What the hell, I might as well tell you. James Potter bloody happened to me."

"Ahh. I understand. You really _are _Potter's bitch."

"Marlene! This is serious!"

"Okay, okay. So what did James Potter do to you that you ended up like this? Not do his Head Boy job correctly?" Marlene heckled.

Lily groaned. "I wish. He gave me an ultimatum."

"Ooh, now this sounds interesting! What kind of ultimatum?"

"Either James Potter is done with me forever or…"

"Or?"

"…or I come to him."

"You come to him?"

"I come to him."

"As in, you reverse rolls? You come to James Potter for once instead of the other way around?"

"Yes."

"Oh, wow. That's some serious shit."

"Yeah," Lily agreed, hanging her head.

"Well, what the hell are you here moping for?"

"Did you not just hear what I said? He wants me to come to him!"

Marlene rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know. Do it."

"I can't just bloody go to him and tell him my feelings!"

"And why the hell not?"

"Because…because that's not how it works!"

"Really, Lily? That is the stupidest excuse I've ever heard. He asked you to do this one time, the very thing he's been doing almost daily for the _last seven years_."

Lily blanched. "You're right," she whispered. "What is wrong with me?"

"I've been asking myself that same question for a while. Now clean yourself up, and dammit, _go get your man_."

"I will!" Lily said, jumping off the bed and charging for the bathroom. "And Marlene?" she said, abruptly stopping and turning back.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"No problem, Lily," Marlene said, genuinely smiling. She looked down at the dried chocolate on her fingers. Oh well. She'd waited this long; she might as well give it a few more minutes and watch what was sure to be an interesting lunch hour in the Great Hall.

* * *

><p>It was lunch time when Lily finished cleaning herself up as quickly as possible. She had walked all the way from her room to the Great Hall determinedly, but now wavered timidly next to the doors. It wasn't really that she thought that James might shoot her down; he had been waiting for this for years. There's no way he would suddenly turned cold hearted toward her like that. No, she was afraid to venture any further because she knew James. <em>Her <em>James. No matter how much she loved him or he her, James's personality would not change. He was mischievous and not bloody likely to smile graciously and simply let Lily be his girlfriend and that be that. No, James would never do something without flare. He was going to give her hell, she was sure of it. The only thing that kept her from running back upstairs and cowering under her blankets was the knowledge that she deserved whatever she got for being a huge bitch to the man that had loved her for nearly half of her life.

With that thought, she began to shuffle into the Great Hall until she stood directly opposite from James. She was sure his gaze had flickered upward for a second and seen her, but he had quickly directed his attention back to his friends.

"James," she said quietly. No answer. She cleared her throat and tried again, this time a bit louder. "James."

"Oh, hullo, Evans."

Lily jerked a bit at his cold use of her last name. "My name is Lily," she told him firmly. She imagined she saw him quickly cover up a smirk, but it was hard to tell. "James, I want to speak with y—"

"So Padfoot, did you ever finish that potions essay?" James said over her.

"Prongs, don't be daft. Of course I didn't."

"James, I—"

James chuckled loudly. "Well then you're buggered, aren't you?" _That bastard is doing this on purpose_.

"Suppose I am, Prongs," Sirius replied, flicking his gaze toward Lily and clearly trying to figure out just how far she was willing to endure this treatment before she'd crack, just like James had planned.

"James—"

"Oh well then. You're on your—"

"Dammit James Potter, you listen to me _right now_!" Lily yelled as she planted both feet firmly on the table, climbed up, and stopped to stand on top of it right in front of him. Everything grew quiet, but Lily knew that if she brought herself to care, she might lose her nerve. James had finally given her his full attention, albeit that he looked a bit taken aback.

"I finally took your advice. I pulled that damned stick out of my arse and listened to what my heart had to say." James's lip quirked a bit at the statement, clearly holding back a smile. "I finally realized what that stupid feeling was that replaced my hatred for you. And as much as I would have liked to reverse that a week ago, I can't. Because I realized that I return your bloody affections and feelings. As much as I've heard your declarations of love over the years, it took this long for me to figure out that I _actually love you back_. And I was a bloody fool to not see that until now."

James let a smirk creep onto his face. "Does that mean I can't call you 'Evans' then?"

"You may call me Lily, as I don't intend to keep the name 'Evans' forever. I was thinking 'Potter' had a nicer ring to it," Lily replied, answering him easily.

At that, James could no longer contain himself. He hoisted himself onto the table and kissed the love of his life in front of the entirety of Hogwarts.

* * *

><p><strong><strong>One couple down, one to go! Haha. I hope you liked it! I might not be able to post a chapter next week. I'm sorry! I will be gone on a mission trip starting tomorrow morning and I won't get back until late next Saturday night. Please forgive me! :D<strong>**


	12. Chapter 11

****This chapter begins around two weeks after the last one left off. It is about two days before the Marauders go their separate ways for the last Hogwarts age Christmas hols.****

* * *

><p>Sirius stared blankly out the window from the seventh year boys' dormitory. Hogwarts was covered in blindingly white snow with plenty more still steadily falling. Sirius was curled up, his knees to his chest, as he watched, shivering slightly.<p>

Remus opened the door and quietly shut it behind him, watching the other boy. Sirius had been acting strange for around two weeks now, ever since Lily and James officially started dating. Remus intended to find out why, but had been struggling on a safe way to approach Sirius about the subject. So, he stood by the door and watched.

Sirius was hunched over slightly to fight back the cold, and he looked as if he hadn't moved in a while. There was no trace of laughter on the usually joyous boy's face. His eyes were glazed over and sad looking. Remus ached for him and longed to be a comfort. He couldn't stand seeing Sirius so broken over something. The last time he had been like this, it was right after he had let slip Remus's biggest secret. Remus had longed to comfort him then too, but his anger had overpowered his sympathy. Now Remus could go to him; if only he knew how.

_The best approach_, he decided, _is just to ask him. Don't beat around the bush; just ask him._

Remus was taking a deep breath and getting ready to walk over when suddenly, without ever changing position from the window, Sirius spoke.

"You might as well come away from the door and sit down somewhere."

"H-how long did you know I was there?" Remus asked, taken by surprise.

"Since the door opened, you daft wolf. I'm not deaf, and having a dog's sense of hearing doesn't exactly make sneaking around possible."

"Oh, right. Sorry, I just was…thinking."

"Oh really? What a coincidence," Sirius replied flatly.

"Padfoot… are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Stop trying to avoid the topic, Sirius. I know damn well when you're upset over something."

Sirius whistled. "Whoa, sorry Mama Wolf. Can you bring back Remus?"

"Don't mess around, Padfoot. You're going to tell me what's bothering you."

"Bugger it all, Moony, can't a man pout in peace?"

"No."

"Right then. Well, it's nothing I can't handle on my own; I assure you."

Remus's eyes narrowed. "Oh, is that why you've been moping for two weeks then?"

"I have not been mop—"

"Yes you have! You've been like this ever since Lily and James became a couple!"

Sirius's eyes darkened. "Why don't you try losing your best friend and see how you like it?"

Remus calmed a bit. "Sirius, you know you haven't really lost James and that's not the real problem here."

"Oh? Well then what is?"

"I don't know; you tell me."

Sirius sighed. "I'm sorry Moony. You're just trying to help. I don't know what's wrong with me."

"You're upset, clearly."

"It's more than that. It's like I'm…scared. That's it. I guess this sounds stupid of me, but I always thought that hell would freeze over before Lily finally agreed to go out with James."

"Did you call the devil and ask? Because I always thought that too. Something fishy is definitely going on down there."

Sirius snorted. "If James and Lily are a possibility, then think about what else is possible! We could all go our separate ways, not be the Marauders anymore! One of us could die; all of us could die! Voldemort could start a real uprising and take over the world! We could turn on each other! I could fall in love! Remus, falling in love has never been on my list of plans for the future! Buying a motorbike, sleeping with as many women as possible, being the most famous auror to ever live! Yeah, sure, those were on there. But I never made room for falling in love!"

Remus was a bit taken aback. "Calm down, Padfoot. You're afraid of falling in love?" Sirius looked at him with big, sad eyes that only a true canine could possess. "But you don't fall in love."

"What if I do? I think I already have," Sirius whispered the last part.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Remus sighed. "Look, Padfoot. You shouldn't spend all your time sulking and worrying. It won't get you anywhere. If you fall in love, you just, well hell, you just fall in love."

"What if they don't love me back? What if I get my heart broken?"

Remus felt a pang in his chest. "They will definitely love you back. Anybody who's smart would. You're amazing, Sirius. Everyone already loves you anyway."

Sirius looked thoughtful for a moment, and then turned to look into Remus's eyes. "Promise you'll always be here for me."

"Wh-what?"

"James may have Lily, and who knows where Peter will end up, but we have each other. Promise you'll always be here for me."

Remus smiled. "I promise."

"Thanks Moony."

Sirius stopped slouching and his eyes shone as he turned back around to gaze at the still falling snow.

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Depressing mood, depressing Padfoot. Sorry, I have to write what I feel. I think it is a requirement of me. Poor Sirius is worried about the future. Once he gets into one of his moods, Remus is usually the only one that can pull him out of them. Thank goodness for that hot little werewolf.<strong>**


	13. Chapter 12

**The day after Christmas in the Potter house. Read on, my lovelies!**

* * *

><p>"Do you think Lily would like a teddy bear? Or maybe some new clothes! No, no, if I bought her clothes she might hit me. Oh! What about a puppy? Padfoot?"<p>

"As much as I am inclined to love puppies, being one myself, I regrettably have to inform you that none of that will do much good."

"Why?" James asked, leaning over the table.

Sirius leaned back in his chair a bit, stretching with a full stomach. "Christmas was yesterday, Prongs. It'd be a little late. Plus you sent her that one bauble already. She liked it well enough, told you so and all that nonsense in that sappy letter."

"Yeah, but I just want to make sure she has all she wants. Nothing's too much for my Lilykins. Except the moon, maybe. It doesn't respond to the summoning charm yet."

"You are whipped, my friend, and frankly, it's disgusting."

James frowned and took another bite of his pancakes. "'M not whipped," he replied with a full mouth.

"You are too whipped. You'd do anything to get a little Lily loving."

James rolled his eyes. "Oh please, Sirius, like you haven't done plenty of outlandish things yourself just to get a girl."

"I'll have you know, I haven't. My bits are untouched. I'm waiting for the right prince charming to come sweep me off my feet. We shall spend the whole night dancing at the ball!" He batted his eyelashes and threw in an only slightly manly giggle.

"Your terrible impression of lovesick bird aside, I know this information. And by untouched you mean all but yourself, of course," James said, sticking out his tongue and making gagging noises.

"Don't forget to count yourself, James Potter," Sirius said, winking at him. "Remember, if I should become pregnant it will be your responsibility to tell my mother!"

"Her oldest son pregnant with another male's baby? Your mother would die of a heart attack instantly from such a disgrace of the Black name."

"…On further thought, maybe you should tell my mother that anyways." They both laughed.

"But it could never happen. You're just no good for me. I need a man with more stability. I mean, look at the kids we already have! I haven't seen Lily Jr. and Devilishly Handsome Padfootfish in months! I don't think you'd be able to raise a family," Sirius told him.

"If you're referring to the fish we rescued from muggles over the summer, I do believe you locked them in your trunk which most likely has killed them. Parenting never really was your forte."

"Oh darling, don't flatter me," Sirius giggled. "You know how I respond to flattery." He lifted his shirt over his belly button teasingly.

"I'm sorry mate, but I just can't be in this relationship anymore. My heart belongs to someone else."

Sirius pouted. "Fine. Go make miniature sex-haired gits with your redheaded goddess. Just forget all about me!"

"Padfoot, Padfoot, Padfoot. How can I make this better? Let's find someone for you to love! I've always wanted to be a matchmaker!" James said, wiggling his eyebrows. Sirius snorted. "No, really! What about Alice? No, Frank would murder you. Mary? Marlene? Take your pick!"

"Really, Prongs? You're going to offer up Lily's friends? What a noble sacrifice of you. I can tell you've really put some thought into your, ah, what did you call it? Oh yes. 'Matchmaking.'"

"Fine, someone else. What about Narcissa? You Blacks were always into the whole inbred thing." Sirius glared at him. James laughed. "Okay, okay, so not Narcissa. What about Remus?" James winked at him. "You want some wolfy lovin'?"

Sirius blushed furiously. James halted his fork with a speared piece of pancake in front of his mouth in confusion. James stared at Sirius. Sirius stared at James. James dropped his fork. Sirius panicked. James began to smirk. Sirius panicked even more. James began to chuckle lewdly. Sirius gulped.

"Well, well, well. It seems to me like Sirius Black really _does _want some wolfy lovin'."

"I—uh…NO! No, I do not. I don't."

"You don't _what_, Padfoot?"

"Love Remus!"

"I never said you loved him, Padfoot. You implied that yourself. I just said you wanted to f—"

"James!" Sirius screeched, turning bright red once again.

"Did the Sirius Black just _blush _whilst talking about _sex_? Wow. I never thought I'd see the day you turned prude."

"I am NOT a prude," Sirius said decisively.

"You are. You are a prude when it comes to your _Remus._ Because you _love _him."

"Please, James, this is not a joke. It's absolutely terrible. Horrible."

"Yes, and I'm sure it has caused you to have a few no good, very bad days and all that. Stop being dramatic, Sirius. It's not the end of the world."

"And how would you know? What if he were to find out? He might never look at me the same way again!"

"Oh, I'm sure you're right there," James said, chuckling over the thought of how Remus really _would _respond to this knowledge. "I just doubt he'd be as horrified as you seem to think he will."

"I don't know what's so bloody funny to you. You've had your own fair share of romantic struggles. I do seem to recall that it took almost _seven years _for you to win over your current love interest."

James grinned. "Ah, but that is the amusing part, Padfoot. I have had many a struggle indeed. Therefore, it is absolutely delightful to see the great Sirius Black, conqueror of all hearts, finally brought to his knees. Even you are not perfect when it comes to love, Padfoot."

"Oh yes, obviously not," he replied sarcastically, tossing his gorgeous hair and letting it fall perfectly around his face.

James snorted. "Now there's the overly confident bastard I'm used to. See, that's the personality it takes for you to win a heart. Come on, Sirius. Just tell him. I'm sure things will work out for the best."

"I will tell him! Just…not yet. Let me do this on my own, okay? I don't need to have to worry whether you're going to let something slip to him or not. So, don't tell him. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah. I won't tell him…yet. But if you haven't told him by the end of the year, Padfoot, I'm outing you. To everyone."

Sirius scowled. "Fine. I'll have told him by the end of the year."

"Great," James said with a toothy grin.

"Great. Now can we talk about something else?" Sirius pleaded.

"Fine. No more wolfy lovin'. Well, one more." James let out an extremely loud howl.

Sirius turned to tackle him, but James had already shot off, laughing the entire way.

* * *

><p><strong>James is so very talented at getting information out of his friends. Did anyone catch my reference to the children's book <em>Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day <em>by Judith Viorst? I don't really remember much of what happened in the book except for that Alexander was having a bad day and it had a happy ending. The title is pretty memorable though. I don't really know why, it just sort of stuck. I hope you liked this chapter. Boys joke about the raunchiest things. My friends and I have had our moments, but it's still different from this. Boyish humor is kind of new to me. But then again, after reading so much of it, it really isn't anymore. See ya in the next chapter!**


	14. Chapter 13

**We are back from the Christmas hols and the race is on between Sirius and James! It's time for the puppies to push their relationship to the next level!**

* * *

><p>Sirius sat quietly humming to himself as he pieced his thoughts together. <em>This has to be perfect if I am going to let Remus know how I feel about him before James does.<em>

Sirius had just put the finishing touches on his parchment when he heard the door open. His head snapped up quickly to find James and Remus walking through the doorway. His heart racing, he quickly pushed the parchment underneath a pillow and turned to face the two boys.

James quirked his head, a mysterious glint in his eye. "Hullo, Padfoot."

Sirius cleared his throat. "Prongs. Moony." His gaze lasted a few seconds longer on Remus than it had on James.

"What were you working on?" James asked.

"Er—what?"

"You know. Just now. That parchment you shoved under your pillow," James smirked.

_Shit. He knows it has something to do with Remus! _"I don't know what you're talking about, mate."

"Oh, well then. Perhaps it was only a trick of the eye."

"Oh yes, that's probably it." Sirius breathed a sigh of relief as James began to walk toward his own bed. Just as Sirius turned his head, he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. He swiveled back around just in time to see James sail through the air onto Sirius's bed.

"No!" Sirius yelled as James grabbed the parchment and took off. "James Potter, get your fat ugly arse back here right now!"

James pulled up short. "Fat?" he whimpered. "I am not fat! I thought you of all people would accept me the way that I am! I thought you _loved _me, Sirius Black!"

"I could never love a scrawny teenage boy with sex hair and fat jeans. It's just too much," he said as he discreetly crept toward James. "Besides, we both know Moony here is my true love." They both turned to look at Remus whose cheeks were quickly growing bright red. Sirius winked at him.

"Padfoot, I can see you moving closer to me. You're not getting this back."

"Prongs, give me my damn paper! Moony, tell him to give me my damn paper!" Sirius said, flashing a pleading look in Remus's direction.

Remus sighed. "James, give him his damn paper."

"No."

"Sorry Padfoot, I tried."

Sirius turned to glower at James. He quickly lowered his voice so that only James could hear it. "What the hell is this? I told you I would tell him myself."

"Yeah, I know. I'm just giving you a little boost, that's all."

"James, please."

"Let's see here," James said as he looked at the parchment. "_7 Ways to_—" James's jaw dropped. "_7 Ways to Make Someone Fall in Love with You_!"

"Give me that!" Sirius hissed and started to lunge again, but Remus caught him by the arm.

"Don't you dare. I want to hear this," Remus said, a shocked expression on his face.

"_Step 1: Subtly Flirt_. Ha! If he gets any more subtle, I will definitely have to—"

"James!"

"_Step 2: Don't Look Away. Give the eye._ What the hell does that mean? _Step 3: Be a little mysterious._ Oh yes. Every man loves—"

"_James_!"

"Did he just say man?"

"No!"

James just chuckled and read on.

"_Step 4: Always leave them wanting more._ Well, that'll be a bit difficult for you, won't it Padfoot? Considering _you're _the one wanting to jump _his_—"

Sirius squeaked. Loudly.

Both boys missed the quick flash of jealousy in Remus's eyes.

"_Step 5: Compliment them. _Shouldn't be too hard. _Step 6: Buy them things. _Chocolate. And lots of it. _Step 7: Hang around a lot. Then become suddenly unavailable. _Haha! I'd like to see you become suddenly unavailable. You can't spend more than a few minutes without him."

"JAMES BLOODY POTTER! I WILL KILL YOU!" Sirius yelled as he charged at the door.

"Um…Padfoot?" Sirius stopped short as the door slammed in front of him. "Are you…are you gay?"

"No! No, why would you—Ow! Bloody bugger shit hell freaking _ow_," Sirius said as he rammed his head into a bed post and crumpled to the floor.

"Sirius! Are you okay?" Remus cried, coming to check on him.

Sirius chuckled nervously and said in a much higher pitch than normal, "Okay? Of course I'm okay."

"That looked like it hurt."

"Well yeah, it hurt, but it was a good hurt. It might help clear my head. It was like getting a sunburn but knowing it will turn into a tan hurt. A worth it kind of hurt. So, good…hurt."

"Sirius, you're panicking."

"Nope! No I'm not, that totally made sense."

"No, it didn't." Remus sighed. "Padfoot, it's okay if you're gay. I'm not going to judge you."

Sirius bowed his head. "Fine," he relented. "I might just be a bit of a poofter."

"A bit? Isn't it all or nothing with you?" Remus smirked.

"All right! Bloody hell, I'm a big poofter, a shirt lifter, and whatnot!"

"Really? What a coincidence. Me too."

"What?"

"Yep. I'm a bloody poofter too."

Sirius gave his signature grin and lightly ran his hand up Remus's arm. "Well then, maybe we should meet up some time. Your bed or mine?" He winked.

Remus laughed heartily and walked into the bathroom.

_Step 1: Subtly Flirt- Check._ thought Sirius as he grinned broadly at the closed bathroom door.

* * *

><p>Remus woke up to see eyes staring lewdly back at him.<p>

"Ahh!" He yelled as he pushed a body off of him.

"Bloody hell, Moony! What was that for?"

"Sirius?"

"Yes!" came his indignant answer.

"You scared the hell out of me!"

"…You didn't think I looked sexy?" Sirius's eyes peered sadly over the edge of Remus's bed.

"Uh, sure?"

"You didn't think I looked sexy," he pouted.

"I'm sorry? You scared me, Sirius!"

"Fine. Whatever." Sirius continued to stare at him. Remus finally rose from his bed and went to find clothes. Sirius still stared.

"Uh, Padfoot? Why are you staring at me?"

"I'm giving you my undivided attention."

"Well could you maybe divide it a bit? You're kind of creepy." Remus said as he pulled a sweater over his head.

_Step 2 is a fail! Abort! Move to Step 3! _Sirius swung his hair to cover his face and grinned maniacally at Remus. "Hey Moony," he purred.

Remus turned and jumped back with a small yell at the sight of Sirius. "What the bloody hell is wrong with you?"

"Don't I look mysterious?" he crooned.

"You look like you just stepped out of one of those bloody muggle horror films. Cut it out, Sirius."

_Step 3 is also a fail! Back to Step 1! _"Uh…Remus!" he stuttered. "I'm having a bit of a problem! Down here," he whispered the last part and pointed to his crotch. "Think you can help me fix it?" he asked, winking roguishly.

Remus barked out a laugh. "Oh, Padfoot. I think you can take care of such a _small _problem yourself," he said with a wide smirk on his face.

"I just— Hey! I am _not _small! I'll have you know I have the largest, uh, _problem_, at Hogwarts!"

"You do not. I've seen it."

"Oh? Been looking, have you?"

"It's hard not too when I wake up after a full moon and you're _wagging it in my face_."

"That was one time! One time! I told you it was an accident and I was sorry! Besides, I've grown since third year."

"Oh, I know," Remus winked as he walked out the door to breakfast.

Sirius's heart began racing. _Remus is turning the tables on my subtle flirting! He's not allowed to do that!_

"Padfoot," he heard a tired voice call. He looked up and met James's sleepily annoyed face peering behind his bed curtain. "That was _so not subtle._"

Sirius sighed. _This might be more difficult than I originally thought._

* * *

><p><strong>Just to recap: Step 1 was subtly flirting. Step 2 was staregive them the eye (which was supposed to be more of a sexy look, not the creepy look Sirius seems to have perfected). And Step 3 was to be mysterious. So Sirius maybe isn't so good at following these steps to make someone fall in love with him, but I don't think Sirius Black every really needed the steps. If he'd just pay attention, maybe he'd notice that a certain someone is already in love with him. Poor Sirius, blind to the affections of his beautiful werewolf. But said werewolf is just as blind. Let's go boys; it's time to open your eyes!**_  
><em>


	15. Chapter 14

**Here we are, somewhere within a week or so of Sirius and his list. He's trying to put a little space between the last few items on his list to gain Remus's attention. After all, it's said you can't rush perfection. The beginning of this chapter is a bit more serious. I feel like a bit of Peter focus is necessary though.**

* * *

><p>"Lupin?"<p>

"You've got every bit of blackmail you need on him. You know his biggest secret."

"And Black?"

Peter looked wary.

"Come now. You wouldn't want your poor mum to fall prey to the death eaters again, now would you?" Severus crooned. Something deep inside twitched—_guilt, maybe?_—but he swallowed it down quickly. The old Severus Snape would have hesitated with such cruelty, the Severus Snape that had a conscience and a heart unbroken from loving one who could never forgive him for his greatest mistake.

Peter snapped to attention. "Something I recently found out. Sirius is a poof."

Severus was a bit surprised at this. "He's gay? You're sure?" Peter nodded solemnly. "Regulus will be…pleased to hear about this."

"Potter?"

"He's a bit stressed about his new role as a boyfriend."

Severus forced a chuckle. "You are so easy to gain information from. No backbone at all, Pettigrew. You may go. Your mother is safe…for now."

Peter turned to go.

"Wait. Pettigrew?"

"Yes?"

"Potter…he really loves Lily?"

"Yeah. I think so."

"And he wouldn't do anything to hurt her?"

"Never." Severus nodded his confirmation and left Peter.

_I feel bad about betraying my friends, but—my mum. I don't think I'm capable of loving anyone, but I can't let her get hurt. She's had enough hardships in life._

If only Peter knew that feeding Severus Snape information could never save his mother from Voldemort and the death eaters in the end. If only he knew that he could never take back a few bits of given information and return things to the way they were before. Things were getting out of hand for him with the death eaters, and soon he would recognize that he was becoming one of them, even though it slowly killed him inside.

And if only Severus knew that dark magic could never fill the void he felt from losing Lily Evans as both a friend and potential lover. But that's a story for another day.

* * *

><p>The wind blew through James's hair as he sailed high above the quidditch pitch on his broom.<p>

"Potter intercepts the quaffle and heads toward the goalposts! He goes left—no! It's a fake! He pulls up and swerves right, directly around the defender. There he goes—wait! Is that a bludger? He goes into a dive and pulls out at the last minute, avoiding the direct hit. He goes back up and, narrowly missing a collision with another defender, scores!" James narrated his imaginary game and cheered as he scored on an invisible opponent. He heard light laughter from the stands below.

Bundled in her warmest clothes, Lily stood there gazing up at him.

"Come to watch your man do his thing?" James asked, waggling his eyebrows.

"Oh yes, and how very impressive he is!" She laughed again. "I brought you some hot cocoa. It's freezing out here!"

"Oh. Thank you, love!"

"Don't stay too long, James. It's cold and I miss you."

"I'll come down in just a little while."

"Okay. I'll wait for you in the common room." She turned and left.

Once upon a time, all James could ever see ahead of him was quidditch. He wanted to be a star, swerving around on his broomstick and kicking arse in foreign quidditch pitches everywhere. He wanted to be a handsome and talented teenager forever. But now, he no longer saw quidditch in his future. He saw small children with heads of wild black hair and beautiful green eyes. He saw Lily. And somehow, this future was much more appealing to him than any dreams of being a famous quidditch player.

* * *

><p><em>All right, Black. It's step four time. You can do this. It's not like he's a monster or anything…oh. Well, that's only sometimes. And it's definitely not right now. So go win his heart! ...or at least win his attention.<em>

Sirius cleared his throat. "Mmm. These mashed potatoes look delicious! You want me to get you some, Moony?"

"Yeah, sure. I love potatoes."

Sirius took the spoon and dabbed a tiny drop of potatoes onto Remus's plate. Then he took the rest from the bowl and dumped them onto his own plate.

"Uh, Sirius. What was that for?" Remus asked, gesturing between the two servings of potatoes.

"Leaves you wanting more, huh, Moony?" Sirius replied, winking at him.

"I'll just go and get more from somewhere else then." He rose and walked farther down the table.

James cleared his throat. "Padfoot, I don't think that's what the list meant by 'leave him wanting more.'"

"What the hell did it mean then?"

"It meant to leave him wanting more _of you_. You're supposed to be a bloody tease, Sirius."

"Do I have to be bloody? That sounds like a bit of a turn off."

"You know what I mean, you idiot!" James replied, smacking him in the back of the head.

"Ow, fine, yes! Damn you, Potter, I get it."

"Then go on and fix your mess."

* * *

><p>Remus was lying on his stomach in his bed quietly reading a book. James was with Lily and Peter, quite honestly, hadn't been seen by any of them for a few hours. Sirius had been taking a shower. Had been.<p>

The door to the bathroom flung open suddenly and Remus jerked his head up in shock. The steam swirled ominously and out walked Sirius Black. A wet, steamy, nearly naked except for the towel tied loosely about his waist Sirius Black.

Remus gasped almost inaudibly, but Sirius's canine ears caught the small noise. He grinned. In a low voice, he crooned, "Hullo, _Moony_. See anything you like?"

"S-Sirius. I'd like to see a bit more," he muttered shakily under his breath.

"What was that?" Sirius asked, still grinning over the effect he seemed to be having on Remus.

"N-nothing."

"Oh, well, I guess it's not important then. I'd let you see more, but, really Moony. I think you should at least buy me dinner first."

Remus quickly tried to compose himself. He rose from his bed. "It's all right, Padfoot. You see, I've already had dinner tonight, and I think if you show me anymore that dinner might just reappear all over the floor." He smirked and walked out of the dormitory.

But if the stiff and uncomfortable gait of his walk was any indication, puking was one of the last things on Remus's mind when it came to Sirius Black starkers.

_Step Four: Not a complete failure. Get ready gentlemen, we are about to bring this wolf down._

* * *

><p><strong>Thought I'd give you a more lighthearted ending after the dramatic beginning. Or maybe not so much 'lighthearted' as 'super-sexy-Sirius-just-got-out-of-the-shower.' Haha. The effects he has on poor Remus! But it goes both ways for the puppies. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!<strong>


	16. Chapter 15

**Middle of the week update! You guys are _so _welcome! Haha! So, beginning of February? Yeah, let's go with that. I like this chapter. Read on!**

* * *

><p>Remus and Sirius sat quietly on their respective beds in the dormitory. Remus's eyes were glued to his book and Sirius's eyes were glued to Remus. Though if anyone were to really inspect this vision, they might find that Remus's book was actually upside down and that he was indeed sneaking furtive glances at Sirius.<p>

A knock echoed on the door. Remus called, "Come in!"

Lily entered. "Well, if it isn't Mrs. Potter," Sirius said.

"Sirius," she regarded him, not unkindly. "Remus, are you ready to go?"

"Oh, yeah Lily. Just give me a minute to straighten myself up and we can be on our way," Remus said as he jumped up and jogged to the bathroom, letting the door click shut behind him.

"Where are you going?" Sirius asked.

"Oh, nowhere, really," Lily answered nonchalantly, toying with Sirius. "Remus just has a little _date_."

"Uh, you mean 'date' as in the fruit, right?"

"No, no Sirius. I mean date as in he's going _out _with a _girl_." She fluttered her eyelashes on the last syllable.

"Why the bloody hell would he do that? He's gay, for Merlin's sake!"

"I don't know, Sirius. Maybe he got tired of waiting around for _someone else_," she replied as she looked pointedly at him. "He's got his reputation to uphold, you know. Can't go tarnishing the Marauder name by not flitting around and romancing the entirety of Hogwarts, staff included."

"You mean he's dating Minnie? Wait, no! It's Dumbledore, isn't it? I knew that man was a poof! He just won't stop staring at Remus! Lusting after his wolfy body, no doubt," Sirius scowled as he continued to mutter to himself.

Lily huffed. "No, Sirius. I just mean he has a date. A normal one, not one that could get anyone into serious trouble or have them known as a pedophile for the rest of their life."

"Who—"

"Don't ask me the name; I'm not going to tell you."

"Ready!" Remus said as he came out of the bathroom, looking quite dashing with his hair combed and swept gracefully to the side. His button-up shirt was open at the top so his chest and the freckles dotting it could be seen. He wore muggle jeans that fit just perfectly around his legs and arse. In short, he looked like a male model.

Sirius glared silently at him. Remus withered a bit under the glare, but walked out the door with Lily.

"Uh, bye Padfoot," he called over his shoulder a bit nervously. The door slammed.

"Hey, Lily? What did you tell Sirius while I was getting ready?"

"Oh, not much really. We just had a pleasant conversation. You know, the weather, nature, quidditch, the like," she answered, not quite meeting his eyes.

"Oh, really?" he asked skeptically. "Is that why he looked so pissed?"

"What do you mean? He was perfectly fine."

"Lily," he looked at her sternly. "I thought he was going to rip my head off."

"Okay, okay," she replied guiltily. "I might have told him that you were going on a date…with a girl."

"Lily! You know very well that I'm gay!" He lowered his voice. "And also very in love with _him_. That's what was wrong. He probably thinks I made the whole thing up, told him I was gay just to get his deepest secrets out of him."

"Oh yeah, _that's _probably it." She rolled her eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He narrowed his eyes at her. "Never mind, I've got to go straighten things out with Sirius."

She grabbed his arm as he turned to go. "Sirius will be fine, Remus. Something will come along and distract him and he'll forget all about it."

"But—"

"Remus, you promised you'd help me pull this prank on James! Look, I've got the camera with me and everything!"

Remus sighed. "Fine. Show me the way."

* * *

><p><em>Who does this bird think she is, swooping in and stealing <em>my _Remus? She can't bloody well have him! He's…well, he's mine! Damn Remus and his bloody insufferable good looks. Damn Lily for taking my man away and setting him up on a date. Damn James for dating her and not being here for me to rant to him! Damn Peter for…well, where the bloody hell is Peter? Damn him for not ever being around anymore! And just for good measure, damn Lily's friends and Minnie and Dumbledore and-and all of Hogwarts! I'll show them. Oh yeah, Sirius Black can party all by himself!_

And with those thoughts, Sirius tilted his head back and took another long swig from his bottle of firewhiskey.

* * *

><p>James sat by the fire in a shockingly empty common room. He supposed most of the other Gryffindors had gone off the Hogsmeade, and the first and second years had gone outside for a snowball war that had lasted a few hours now.<p>

The door to the common room creaked open. Lily and Remus entered. Lily crossed the floor to James, a mischievous smile gracing her features, but Remus stayed away, nearly disappearing into a corner.

"James," she said in a low voice that sounded smoothly seductive to his ears. "I have something for you."

He looked down at the card in his hands. It read: _You've been begging for weeks, so I thought it was time to give you a little peek…_

Underneath the writing was a picture of Lily herself giving a seductive wink and letting her oversized t-shirt hang off her shoulder a bit. The picture didn't move, apparently developed the muggle way.

James's mouth gaped open. "You…you…pictures?"

"You asked for something, a peek. I delivered."

"…Thank Merlin! _Finally_!"

He nearly ripped off the front page in his race to see the rest of the pictures. He got to the first one, his eyes widened with horror, and he screamed as he slung them away from him.

"My eyes! What the bloody hell?"

Staring up from the floor where James had slung the card sat a nearly naked Remus Lupin, clad only in boxers, staring seductively back at him. He inched toward the card carefully, as though the pictures might suddenly jump up and attack him. He flipped through the rest quickly, noting that they were all of Remus in various states of dress and undress.

Suddenly, James's head snapped up to where Remus was still hiding along the wall. "Remus Lupin, why the hell have you been playing strip tease for my girlfriend?"

He came out of hiding with a smirk adorning his face. "You like?"

Lily chuckled. "Remus, your very _gay _friend, need I remind you, agreed to be the model in my prank for you."

"Why—why would you do that?"

"She promised chocolate, and just thinking of the look on your face when you saw was enough to do me in."

James turned his bewildered gaze on Lily. "You've been pestering me, James. Don't get me wrong, it's a lot hotter and much more wanted than the kind of pestering you used to do, but pestering nonetheless. I _always _get my revenge when you pester, James," she replied, grinning maniacally.

"I will never be the same," James whined. "I'm scarred for life. You _owe _me, Lily Evans."

"Yeah, yeah, all right," she answered, still grinning.

"Come on, Lil. You can go upstairs with us."

The three of them headed upstairs, James unconsciously rubbing his eyes, trying to rid himself of porny images of Remus Lupin.

All heads snapped up when they heard the sound of glass breaking coming from the dorm room. They raced up the stairs and James slung the door open.

"Well hello Jamie. I found the chi-_hic_-children." Sirius was standing in the middle of a puddle of extremely dirty water, glass shards from a fishbowl shattered around him, with a dead goldfish in each hand.

"That's nice, Padfoot. You're drunk."

"Figured that all on your lonesome did you?" Sirius asked, trying to shoot James a steely gaze but unable to locate him for over two seconds at a time. He turned his inebriated gaze back to the fish. "James, our children have become incorrigible. They-_hic_- they won't listen to a thing I tell them."

"Well Sirius, I can't give but two reasons as to why that would be. First, they're fish. Second, they're dead. Both might make it quite hard for them to respond to your commands, though not necessarily in that order."

Sirius pointed a wobbly finger toward James. "You're-_hic_- you're having me on." He huffed. "Jump. Run. _Breathe_!" Sirius, irritated, yelled commands to the fish. "Damn you!" He swung his arm back and launched the fish at the floor. "Swim bitches!" He watched triumphantly as the dead fish hit the ground at the same time, bounced twice, and then stayed in their respective spots. "See! Look, Jamie, they bounced! They _bounced_." He giggled, sounding quite a bit like a lunatic.

Remus turned to glare at Lily. "This is _your _fault," he hissed. "If you had just let me—"

"Oh, it's you," Sirius said in a cool voice. Remus looked up to see that Sirius's giddy focus had turned from James to Remus and was presently quite stony.

"Uh, Lily, I left my new pictures in the common room. Let's go get them!" James and Lily turned and fled before Remus could get in another word.

"So, _Moony_. Have fun on your date? Meet someone nice? Fall-_hic_- in _love_, did you?" Sirius glared coldly at him.

Remus sighed. "Sirius, I was not on a date. Lily _lied _to you."

"Oh yeah and—she did?"

"Yes. She wanted my help to pull a small prank on James. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Oh. _Oh_."

"Yeah, _oh_. See, you wasted all this effort getting completely drunk for no reason." Remus nudged a fish with the end of his sneaker. "Tortured your dead fish and everything."

"But Moony, they wouldn't listen to me! I had to discipline the children! Daddy's hand had to come down _hard_."

Remus smirked. "Don't you mean _mommy's_?" Sirius glared at him. "What? You know good and well that in a hypothetical relationship between you and James that you, being extremely gay, would bottom, and James, being very straight, would top."

Sirius flared his nostrils. "Whatever."

James and Lily came through the door. "Fight over, then?" James asked, cowering slightly behind the door with Lily guarded behind him. He glanced at the pair and decided all was over. "Good. What are you two talking about?"

Sirius's cheeks turned red. "No-_hic_-nothing."

Remus grinned evilly. "Oh, only who would top and who would bottom in this _relationship _that you two possess."

James blanched. "Oh-kkay then, that's my cue to leave. Just going to return these to you, Remus," he said throwing the card with the pictures tucked inside onto Remus's bed, "and we'll just be off. See you!" He pulled the door behind him but caught it before it shut and poked his head back in. "But just so we're clear, I would _totally _top," he whispered. This time he closed the door and really did leave with Lily.

Remus laughed. "See! Told you. It's been a long day, Padfoot. I'm going to get a shower. And I presume you'll be asleep when I come back, so I'll try to help you out with some hangover potion in the morning."

"Hey, Rem. You looked good earlier. Like a professional-_hic_-model." Sirius attempted to wink. Attempted being the obvious word in Sirius's drunken flirtation.

Remus blushed and cleared his throat. "Step 5?" he asked. Then walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

Sirius wondered over to Remus's bed and picked up the card, the pictures of Remus falling out. "_Whoa_," Sirius looked around to make sure no one was watching. "I'm-_hic_- keeping these." He staggered over to his bedside table, yanked open the drawer to drop the pictures inside and lock them away, and then promptly fell over on his bed, snoring loudly.

* * *

><p><strong>Step 5: Compliment them. Sirius is following his list very well. Only two more steps to make someone fall in love with him! Yay! I finally got to bring Sirius and James's "children" back into the story. I've been wanting to do that for awhile. What did you guys think of Remus and Lily's prank? I think I would've been more like Sirius and less like James if the pictures had been given to me, don't you? I thought this chapter was fun, plus it was an early update! I hope you all liked it too!<strong>


	17. Chapter 16

**It's a very somber Valentine's Day at Hogwarts.**

* * *

><p>Peter paced up and down the corridor through the dungeons. His heart raced in nervous anticipation of the meeting. He had hoped that maybe this would stop; the Death Eaters would find someone more interesting. He wanted out. He had to get out before something bad happened.<p>

"Pettigrew, you made it." Severus called casually as he made his way to the shorter, slightly plumper boy currently fidgeting and looking very agitated.

"Yes, I—I did. You wanted to, er, speak with me about something?"

"Ah, yes. The Death Eaters and I feel that it is time for you to formally pledge your allegiance to the dark arts and the service of the Dark Lord. Things are being put in motion; the Dark Lord is lining up an important mission that Regulus Black is to be in charge of. He needs to know that you will be committed and not betray us," he announced formally.

Peter had feared as much. His initial spark of hope was crushed. "And if I don't?" he answered, quite bravely.

Severus chuckled. "You will die."

"What if I don't care about me? What if I would rather keep the honest confidence of my friends than live?"

Severus sneered. "Then we will kill your mother. Only after she is tortured quite heavily, of course," he finished, looking casually at his cuticles as if making simple conversation.

Peter felt a jolt of something go through his stomach—_fear, perhaps?_—the same jolt he always felt when the Death Eaters threatened to go near his mother. Originally, Peter had believed he was quite incapable of loving. His perspective had changed after his few chats with Severus Snape. Peter was not a traitor; he might have been a bit cowardly to some, but that depends on one's values. Peter was very loyal to his friends, but he never truly loved them like they each loved each other, just as they didn't quite love Peter as much. But Peter Pettigrew did love his mother. She had been through so much abandonment and pain, but she had always been happy and caring for Peter. As long as he could prevent her suffering, he would do it. No matter what it took; no matter that love can be a dangerous thing in the middle of war. Love is powerful; it could make you or break you, cause a win or a loss. Peter's fate lined up in a way that made his love unlucky. But he did what he had to do.

Peter looked into Severus's eyes reproachfully. "I will pledge my allegiance to the Death Eaters. Do not bother my mother."

"I thought you would choose correctly. We will hold a ceremony for this. Come to the Slytherin Common Room at midnight; come alone." He turned but then added something else. "Peter, love is not to be trusted, not in war, not in peace, not in life. It causes too much pain and produces much sorrow. You should try to rid yourself of it."

Then, Severus drifted into the shadows of the dungeon, recalling memories of a beautiful redhead, days when he was more lighthearted, and days when he believed in things like love and kindness.

* * *

><p>Mary was very uncomfortable as she walked through the dungeons. She had witnessed a suspicious looking Peter Pettigrew emerge from there a few minutes earlier and had intended to retrace his steps in order to find out what he had been doing. Now, she felt that this might not have been the best idea; she strongly sensed that something or <em>someone <em>was following her. She turned around to go back the way she had come and fought the urge to run frantically.

Suddenly, she found the tip of a lighted wand an inch from her face.

"Going somewhere, little blood traitor?" came a drawling voice. She squinted in the light and saw that she was looking at Mulciber.

"I—I was just leaving," she tried to say forcefully, but her voice trembled a bit.

"You know, MacDonald, it's not safe for you to be wandering around alone in the dungeons. Not safe at all," he sneered.

She swallowed. "Why, afraid I might ruin a sacrifice or disrupt a Slytherin orgy?"

He snarled. "You'll be sorry you said that."

"Oh, really? Why don't you take all your dark arts shite and shove it up your arse?"

Her screams of pain could be heard from two floors above.

* * *

><p>Remus limped into the dormitory and tried not to cry out. The night before had been the full moon and he wasn't fully recovered from it. He stopped when he looked at his bed and saw a large box tied with a bow.<p>

_What's this?_

He gently pulled at the satin and the bow slid right off. He tugged the top off of the box—_it was polished wood_—and removed the decorative paper inside. What he found inside amazed him.

Chocolates of all kinds were piled high in the box. It looked like someone had cleared Honeydukes out. His mouth watered. He reached out a trembling hand dug around for a card. Instead, he found a much smaller box—also polished wood—tucked under a few bars of chocolate. A paper at the top read "Happy Valentine's Day" in an elegant scrawl, but there was no name. The handwriting looked familiar, but he was having a difficult time focusing on it. Underneath the paper was a long golden chain. He pulled it out and saw a charm at the end. It was a crescent moon with a star on top of it. And it was absolutely gorgeous.

Remus swiveled his head around to check for traces of the mysterious gift-giver but found none, though he had his suspicions.

* * *

><p>Sirius watched from the shadows as Remus contentedly found a place to hide the box in his trunk. Then, Remus walked to the bathroom with a goofy grin on his face.<p>

"Wow, Padfoot," Sirius jumped a little at the unexpected presence, "I think this is the first step you didn't mess up on. That was better than the emerald bracelet I bought Lily."

"Thanks, Prongs. I worked hard to get it."

"You're working harder to get him. I'm really proud of you, Sirius. I always knew you had it in you."

Sirius smiled at him.

James turned suddenly somber. "Did you hear about MacDonald? The girls were distraught."

"Yeah, I heard. It's a shame. Damn those Death Eaters, all of them."

"I second that. I think she's going to be okay, though."

"Probably, but okay is painful to reach. Mulciber is expelled, right?"

"Yeah, Dumbledore took care of that right away. He's the one that reached her first."

"These are dark days we live in, James."

"Dark days indeed."

* * *

><p><strong>Though I do enjoy writing in a more lighthearted mood, we must not forget that the Marauders' seventh year was war time. They would've definitely made the most of it, but bad things happen. The Death Eaters grow stronger, but as time marches on, we all know they grow closer to their downfall and the rise of the youngest Potter. The only thing growing closer and stronger than the Death Eaters is Remus and Sirius's relationship.<strong>


	18. Chapter 17

**Two whole weeks since my last update! I feel like a horrible person! Anyway, we're down to one last step! Step 7: Hang around a lot. Then become suddenly unavailable. Okay, we'll talk more at the bottom. Read on!**

* * *

><p>"Hello, Moony. What are we doing today?"<p>

"You mean we as in I? I am studying."

"Hmm. No, no I don't like that idea."

"Sirius, NEWTs are—"

"—bloody months away. Study time later. Now is fun time."

Remus sighed heavily as Sirius snatched the book from his lap and snapped it shut.

"Fine. Do as you wish, master."

Sirius sneered and then winced, thinking of certain unmentionable possibilities. "Not a good choice of words there, wolfboy."

Remus looked at him with confusion, not understanding, and then shook his head. "Just pick something to do, _dogboy_."

* * *

><p>Sirius shot up to Gryffindor Tower taking two steps per stride. Thanks to a spell placed between himself and Remus, he could hear a steady counting from the other boy somewhere below. He quickly flung open the door and dove under the nearest mattress. As he lay trying to stifle his loud breathing, his canine ears heard soft footsteps coming from the staircase. He froze.<p>

Remus's sneakers appeared in his line of vision as the door creaked slowly open and shut. The figure walked three steps to the right and stopped, sniffing the air.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are! I can smell you, Sirius Black."

He walked forward ominously and then sank slowly to the floor. Sirius looked into the werewolf's brown eyes and—

"Padfoot. You're it."

"Damn! How do you always manage to find me so quickly?!"

Remus chuckled. "The same way you always manage to find me: canine senses. Sound and smell."

"…okay, so maybe hide and seek isn't the best game for people like us."

"I'd think not," Remus agreed.

"But it's been fun! Much more fun than studying like you would've done!" Sirius answered as he climbed out from under the bed.

Remus breathed deeply and snapped his head toward the closet. "James is in there. Why is James in the closet?" he whispered.

"I don't know, but I can smell him too," Sirius replied.

Suddenly the dormitory door banged open. A wild-eyed Lily Evans stalked in.

"Where is he?!" she yelled. "I know he's here!"

"Good lord, she's gone mad," Remus whispered to Sirius.

"Maybe she's dealing with her own monthly gift…" Sirius whispered in return.

Lily growled at this and advanced toward Sirius, her body in perfect attack position.

Sirius did something very uncharacteristic to himself and the entire Black family (a family filled with dark magic obsessed purebloods, by the by); he cowered and shrieked like a little girl.

"Lily! Don't kill him; he was just making an observation! Sometimes he doesn't use the speed bump in between his brain and his mouth!" Remus yelled, desperately trying to keep Lily from committing murder.

Something made a small noise in the closet. Lily turned and assaulted the door; James was inside, his face alit with pure terror.

"Bloody hell!" he squeaked.

Her voice low and terrifyingly calm, eyes ablaze, Lily answered," You know nothing of bloody hell, James." The other two boys watched as James was dragged away screaming.

"What the hell did he do?" Remus asked.

Sirius was still shaking from his own encounter. "I don't know, and I have no intentions to find out. Bloody insane witch."

* * *

><p>The boys continued playing games and hanging around each other for the rest of the day and into the week. Remus had come to expect Sirius to snatch him away from his studies. So, when one Saturday morning Sirius did not do this, Remus was curious.<p>

He walked into the dormitory to find Sirius standing next to his unmade bed, pulling a shirt over his head.

"Hullo, Padfoot. Where have you been?"

"Oh, you know. About," he answered aloofly.

"Really? Well okay then. Where are you going now?"

"To…class."

Remus looked at him unbelievingly. "It's Saturday, Sirius."

"Uh, yeah, it's a Saturday class."

"Since when have there been Saturday classes at Hogwarts?"

"Since today. It's a new class."

Remus's eyebrows rose. "Interesting. You'd think that one of the most studious people of Hogwarts, a prefect no less, would have heard about this new Saturday class. What's it called?"

"Er—called?"

"Yes, Sirius, what's the class name?"

"It's, er, ca—call—calligraphy!" Sirius deadpanned.

"Calligraphy."

"…yes."

"Do you even know what calligraphy is?"

"Yes! It's the…ancient language of Egyptians." His eye began to twitch slightly.

Remus ignored this. "What if I wanted to take this class too? I happen to be quite interested in calligraphy."

"Sorry, the class is all full!" Sirius intended to leave then, but he couldn't resist one more pick up line. "But if you want to sign up for a new class, I would recommend anatomy. I like a man who knows about the body." He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Remus blushed. "Padfoot, by chance, does this have anything to do with Step 7?"

"What? Of course not! Step 7? The only steps I'm following right now are the steps to the common room! Got to run, late for class, see you later!" Sirius called as he bolted out the door.

* * *

><p>Sirius ran all day, and Remus trailed him. All over the school. The boy was relentless. Sirius only wanted to follow step 7. It was the last one, for Merlin's sake!<p>

Sirius took a sharp turn and hid in an empty classroom, trying to catch his breath. _I finally lost him!_

Then, he heard voices outside.

"Lily, have you seen Sirius?"

"Oh, yeah! He just went into that empty classroom."

Sirius could just hear the smirk in his voice. "Thank you." And then the door opened.

"There you are, Padfoot! I've been looking all over for you!" Remus beamed.

"Oh, really? I hadn't noticed."

"Of course not. How was class?"

"What?"

Remus's smile became increasingly evil the longer he stood there. "You know, calligraphy class!"

"Right, yes! It was…brilliant. I'm nearly fluent in the language now."

Remus resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Well, I went to visit McGonagall while you were gone. She said there was no such calligraphy class." Both boys knew this statement wasn't true; Remus hadn't been gullible enough to believe Sirius in the first place, and Sirius had witnessed firsthand exactly everywhere Remus had been that day."

"Really? That's weird because—" Sirius faltered under Remus's gaze. "Okay, fine! You caught me! I was avoiding you!"

Remus continued to stare as his smirk grew. "I can see no reason why you would need to do that, unless you were on step 7, of course. Which would make sense after following the flirting, and the looks, and the compliment…and the chocolate. You know, the other six steps."

Sirius gulped, caught in the middle of his ploy. "Okay, maybe I did use the list on you."

Remus grinned, enjoying beating Sirius at his own flirtatious game. "Careful, Sirius. Someone might think you're falling in love with me."

Sirius sighed and stared at him. "Remus," he answered steadily, "it would take an absolute idiot _not _to see that. Of course I'm bloody in love with you."

As Remus stood dumbfounded, Sirius walked out of the classroom.

* * *

><p><strong>Cliffhanger! Sorry, but I just had to. Well, like I said at the top, it's been two weeks since my last update. I'm terribly sorry, but I fear that might occur more now that I am back in school. It's super busy. Also, I need to have some sort of want to be able to write. I'm not going to say I need a certain amount of reviews to update, but I would certainly love to see more. I am super appreciative of the two or three regular reviewers that I have! I love you guys. But I'd also like to hear feedback from some of you other readers! What thoughts are going through your minds? Until next time!<strong>


	19. Chapter 18

_**"Remus," he answered steadily, "it would take an absolute idiot _not _to see that. Of course I'm bloody in love with you." **_**Go, go quickly! Find out what happens!**

* * *

><p>Remus ran. For such a smart person, you'd think he'd have an easier time processing words like "Of course I'm bloody in love with you." But no, Remus had stared into the distance for far too long. Sirius was long gone by now.<p>

Merlin, if only it hadn't been Saturday. If it had been Monday, Remus could have waltzed right into History of Magic and jerked Sirius up by his collar. How dare he spring such information on Remus? _Curse Sirius Black and his bloody games._

Remus couldn't take it. Sirius could have just told him. Here Remus had spent weeks trying to figure out what was going through Sirius's mind. Remus had decided that Sirius just needed a tester for his blasted list. Never would he have thought that the list really was written for him. That was a bit stupid, come to think of it. Denial can do that to a person.

Remus ran down floor after floor. He checked the astronomy tower; he avoided mounds of dropping poo in the owlery. He checked the dungeons and even threatened a few Slytherins while there; it wasn't a very Remus thing to do, but he was severely frazzled and that second year girl was asking too many questions. Remus ran to the Great Hall. James, Peter, Lily, Alice, and Frank were huddled around a table talking about something. It didn't look too serious, just a small chat. Remus decided to interrupt.

"Prongs! Have you seen Padfoot?"

James turned nervously. "Er—no?"

Remus glared at him. "James, this is important."

James sighed. "Okay, yes. But Remus, I wouldn't go looking for him right now. He's in one of his moods."

"I really don't care. Where is he?"

"I don't—I don't know, Moony. Try the Common Room, the dormitory. He didn't tell me where he was going; he just looked a right mess."

Remus turned and ran to Gryffindor Tower. He shouted the password to an annoyed looking Fat Lady and leapt into the Common Room. There were a few kids scattered here and there, but no Sirius. He ran up the stairs and flung open the dormitory door. It was empty.

He groaned. Where could Sirius have gone in the last half hour that he so completely lost Remus? He'd been trying to do it all day and it hadn't worked; how had he suddenly become so good at hide and seek?

Remus paced the room and tried not to pull out his hair. _The nerve of that boy! You can't just declare your love for someone and then disappear off the face of the earth! It's…it's unethical! That's what it is!_

Remus sat down on his bed and tried to calm his mind with a book. For the first time in his life, it didn't work. Giving up, he carefully bookmarked his page and replaced the book in its original position.

Finally, it struck him. _The Marauder's Map!_ He began to rifle through James's already messy trunk. He pulled out an old snitch, a copy of _Which Broomstick?_, and a disgustingly sappy love letter from one Lily Evans, but no map. He looked under James's mattress and in his side table drawers and found nothing.

Then, he moved on to Peter's trunk. He carefully stuck one hand in and began to search. There were cookies, cakes, and a very suspicious note listing a time and place for meeting. However, that was not important at the current time. The underside of Peter's mattress was covered in rat droppings. After trying to control his violent gagging, he was able to move on to Peter's side table drawers. The only thing he found was that his hand was returned covered in something that looked and smelled vaguely like very old peanut butter. He washed his hands three times before moving on to Sirius's things.

Remus opened Sirius's trunk and carefully moved things. For someone so unorganized, Sirius's trunk was extremely put together. He carefully moved a few clothes and spellbooks around. Something shiny caught his eye. He picked it up; it was a small, silver wolf figurine. _Typical. He's a bloody romantic. _

Remus skipped looking under Sirius's mattress and went straight for the drawers. He opened the top one and his face flamed. The pictures he had let Lily take for her prank on James stared back at him. He was both pleased and embarrassed to find that Sirius had saved them. He kept looking and sure enough, underneath his revealing pictures, he found the map.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." The map opened and he searched for Sirius's name. He found it…floating in the same room as his own. "Mischief managed." He put the map back and shut the drawer. Then, he breathed deeply and caught Sirius's familiar scent. _How did I miss that before?_

"Sirius Black, I smell you." Nothing happened. "Padf—" he began, but suddenly he felt faint. His body collapsed to the floor in shivers and his head throbbed. He groaned.

Sirius flung the invisibility cloak from him and ran to Remus's side. "Sodding idiot," Sirius said as he lifted Remus onto his bed. "Just because I go missing for an hour doesn't mean you can play with silver."

"Wh-what?" Remus wheezed.

Sirius snatched the wolf figurine from his hand. "This is silver. I thought you would be smart enough to figure that out," Sirius replied, burying the figurine in his trunk.

Remus immediately felt better, though extremely weak. Werewolves are allergic to silver.

"How long have you been hiding up here?"

Sirius looked at him. "Ever since I left."

"Why?"

"I didn't really expect you to just let me leave like that. I thought you'd at least try to stop me."

"I was in shock! You can't just make romantic proclamations and leave!"

Sirius looked at him sheepishly. "Sorry mate. I guess, in a way, I was just as out of sorts as you were."

"No excuses, Sirius. Why the hell did you have to use some bloody list, anyway? Couldn't just man up and tell me yourself?"

"Well, you didn't exactly let me know if you had feelings either!" Sirius said defensively.

Remus's mouth dropped. "Could I have been any more obvious?!"

"I could say the same thing."

"You're Sirius Black, lover and adventurer extraordinaire!"

"You're Remus Lupin, absolute genius and bloody gorgeous werewolf!"

Remus huffed. "You still could have just told me!"

"No, _you _could have told _me_!"

"Why are we still arguing?!"

"I don't fucking know!" Sirius yanked Remus up by his tie and kissed him with a fierceness that portrayed months of pent up frustration and feeling.

The boys broke apart, both breathing hard.

"Much better than fighting," Sirius murmured.

"Uh-huh," Remus agreed. Then they went back to it.

The sound of a door clicking open echoed around the room. "About damn time!" The boys turned to see James, grinning wildly, and Lily, mirroring his expression, standing behind him. "I thought I was just going to have to tell you both myself!"

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry it took so long! Friday was my sister's birthday (she's 7) and it's been craziness since then! I hope the final outcome of the list and months of the puppies not seeing that they love each other wasn't a disappointment to you! I've got some major seriousness in mind for some upcoming chapters. We are nearing the end. :( But I hope it all works out well. In other news, my senior pictures should be here in less than a week! :D Well, I guess I'm done updating here because I really should be writing a dual credit college english paper. Cheers for Senioritis! <strong>


	20. Chapter 19

**Unless you are fluent in pirate, I would highly suggest that you keep this link open during this chapter: post/31632941945/a-list-of-piracy-terms I made this list for all of you based on the one I used. So, like I said, you should probably use it unless you are fluent in pirate, in which case I am highly impressed at your completely useless but still totally awesome skill.**

* * *

><p>James and Sirius sat in the Great Hall with their heads together, snickering and grinning wildly. Their excited whispers spoke of some trouble or mischievousness planned for the day ahead. Lily took a deep breath and walked toward them.<p>

Sirius looked up and smirked. "Me thinks your lady has come for a bit of cackle-fruit and grog."

"Aye, or perhaps loblolly," James replied.

Lily stopped short. This…was not what she had been expecting. A prank, yes; made-up words, no. Had the boys sunk to a new low? Were they that desperate to do something different? Hell, how many other teenage boys went to a school for witchcraft, were an illegal animagus, best friends (or boyfriend) of a werewolf, and had a map of the school grounds that could track everyone? Surely that would be different enough for them. Lily sighed. It was never enough for them; that was part of their charm.

"What are you two doing?"

James gasped. "Sink me! Don't you know? We ARR practicing the sweet trade!"

"What?"

Sirius grinned as Lily sat down confusedly. "Shiver me timbers, you bilge-sucking swab! We ought to keelhaul you for such disrespect!"

James audibly snickered at this comment.

Lily turned to Remus. "What are these two on about?" she asked exasperatedly.

"I—I think they're pirates?"

"ARR!" answered Sirius.

"Like, International Talk Like a Pirate Day?" Remus continued.

"Aye, sir!" James yelled.

"But that's not today. Is it?" Remus asked.

"I assure ye, it bum-squabbled us too, but by and large we will keep our watch to the eye of the wind and practice the sweet trade all day!" Sirius replied nobly.

"Oh Merlin. All day?" Remus groaned.

"Aye. You best get that booty ready to kiss the gunner's daughter. If you're good I'll skip the flogging." Sirius winked at him.

Remus's face quickly turned red. "Sirius!" he hissed.

Sirius and James laughed loudly.

James pointed toward the Slytherin table. "Keep a weather eye open. If they plan attack and we're not watching, devil to pay, we'll be dead as bilge water."

"Aye, Jamesie. Have you the rum and spirits?" Sirius answered.

"Aye, aye! Let us be three sheets to the wind!"

"Yo ho ho!"

"This is going to be a long day," said Lily.

* * *

><p>Lily, Remus, James, and Sirius all sat in a row in the Potions' classroom.<p>

"Arr, I'd rather ye clap me in irons than force me to mix this brew!" Sirius said.

"Aye, feed the fish or send me to Davy Jones' Locker! You won't even have to make me bite the bullet; I'll be quiet!" James answered.

"You do realize pirates don't actually talk like that?" Remus asked.

The boys ignored him. "Tis worse than sweating, it is. Couldn't pay me all the blunt in the world to teach this poxed class." Sirius continued.

"Arr!" James agreed. He poked at his and Lily's mixture.

"James, don't do that. I've spent the entire class period working on it while you've been speaking bloody pirate with that barmy git over there and I swear if you mess it up I will _cut off your hands_."

James yanked his hand back and returned to his conversation with Sirius.

"This brew looks like Salmagundi."

"Aye," answered Sirius, "the Scurvy Dog is having us prepare his supper." Both boys turned to glare at Professor Slughorn.

"That addled land-lubber!"

"I'll have him walk the plank for that!" Sirius turned to his own potion. He gestured toward a plate of ingredients. "Oi, love, what be this loot?"

"Just spare ingredients, Sirius, but don't touch—" Remus started to say.

"Oi, James, is this one of the pieces of eight?" Sirius asked, picking up a spare ingredient.

"Shiver me timbers, I'd say it is!"

"Well—" Sirius's hand bumped into the desk and the spare ingredient went flying.

"Sirius!" cried Remus.

"Batten down the hatches!" yelled Sirius as he grabbed Remus and pulled them both towards the floor. An explosion shook the room. The boys looked up to see black soot dusting the walls.

Professor Slughorn cleared his throat. "Black, Lupin, detention Saturday night at 9 o'clock," he told them calmly and then went back to his desk.

Remus turned to glare at Sirius.

Sirius laughed nervously. "Um…yo ho ho?"

* * *

><p>Remus walked into the dormitory to find Sirius and James sitting on their respective beds quietly.<p>

"Oi! Shouldn't you two be out causing pirate mayhem all around Hogwarts?"

"I have the collywobbles," James answered.

"Why?" Remus asked.

"Me thinks his lady friend wishes to have him measured for chains because of his piracy," Sirius answered.

"Oh, well, here's a brilliant idea: Drop the pirate act. That would have saved you both a lot of trouble."

"Mate, you ought to be buoyed up. Prongs, crack a bottle! Splice the mainbrace!"

"Padfoot, I absolutely refuse to get plastered with you. Remember what happened last time?"

Sirius let out a snort of laughter as he remembered Remus's description of Pigfarts and Sirius shagging a turkey.

"Come on, mate! Don't you want to be squiffy with us?!" James added.

"No. Besides, I came up here to tell you gits something."

"Out with it, then! I want to shake a cloth in the wind!" James said.

Remus grinned. "I went to the library, did a little research. International Talk Like a Pirate Day is in September."

The boys stared at him dumbfounded. "Are you…seriously?!" James asked.

Remus nodded.

James and Sirius looked at each other. "That means…we get to have another day just like this in a few months!" Sirius yelled. They both cheered while Remus rolled his eyes at the thought of another day like this one. _We will've graduated by then; maybe I can avoid them both all day_.

"Well, if you'll excuse me, gents. I've got an extremely pissed off girlfriend I need to apologize to so that she doesn't render me incapable of having children. Sirius, it's been a pleasure," James said as he headed out the door.

"Arr!" Sirius called after him. "So, Moony…you think pirates are sexy?" Sirius asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Remus smirked. "Just one in particular."

"Oh, really? It's Blackbeard, isn't it? I don't blame you; his beard is magnificent."

"Well, you're close. He is Black, but he doesn't have a beard."

"That can change if you're into the whole facial hair thing," Sirius replied.

"I don't think so. I prefer my man just the way he is," Remus winked.

"Arr," Sirius growled. He grabbed Remus around the waist. "Surrender your booty and I'll let you walk my plank. Or I could kiss the wooden lady."

Remus decided piracy wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, it took awhile, but here it is. Do y'all realize that I used 45 different pirate words and phrases in that chapter? Haha. I hope you liked it. Good news! I got my acceptance letter to my number one choice school yesterday. I'm so excited! My best friend is there now and we keep planning everything we're going to do next year. I hope you all are having a fabulous September! See you in the next chapter!<strong>


	21. Chapter 20

**Hope you all like this. I wrote it completely at school, so I really hope it doesn't show that I was somewhat distracted.**

* * *

><p>"Moony!" Sirius called as he burst through the door to the dormitory. "Moony, where have you been?!"<p>

"I've been here, Sirius. All day. Sleeping in, like any normal, sane person would do on a Saturday," Remus replied.

"Why would you do that? It's a beautiful day!" Sirius said as he flung open the curtains.

"Arg!" Remus yelled at the sudden burst of light.

"No, Rem, International Talk Like a Pirate Day is in September, remember?"

"Sirius Black, shut the damn curtains before you blind me!" Remus yelled, burying himself farther under his covers.

"Fine," Sirius sighed. "I just wanted to enjoy the sunrise with you."

"That's incredibly romantic of you Siri-sunrise?!"

"Yeah, it's lovely!"

"Sirius," Remus whined, "it's far too early for any decent, logical human to be awake! You're never up this early. Why are you up this early?"

"Because it's my most favorite day of the year!" Sirius announced proudly.

"It's not your birthday," Remus said with a grin, but then it hit him. His grin disappeared as he visibly paled. "Oh, no..."

"Oh yes!" Sirius replied giddily. "It's April Fool's Day!" He laughed loudly.

"Oh, Merlin," Remus groaned. He looked around the room. "Where are James and Peter?"

"They went on ahead. Troopers, those two, giving up their morning for the greater good. We're the Three Musketeers!"

"The greater good is tormenting people through ridiculous antics? And what happened to the Marauders?"

"Can't very well be the Marauders with the fourth lying lazily in bed, now can we?" Sirius reprimanded.

"I don't think it's actually considered lazy if it's dawn and the person just wants a normal amount of sleep," Remus grumbled.

"No time for normalcy now, mate, we've got a mission to accomplish!" Sirius said, finally crossing over to Remus's bed.

"I'd prefer to just stay here," Remus said, closing his eyes and snuggling back into the warmth.

"The only way you'd stay here is if I got to stay here too, and since I'm far too busy for any sort of _canoodling _right now, up you go!" Sirius said, yanking Remus up and steadying him with his own arms.

Remus landed with his nose in the crook of Sirius's neck.

"Mmm, you smell nice," Remus breathed.

Sirius let out a chuckle. "Yes, I know. Now let's go!" He leaned down and kissed Remus fully to wake him up, and then they were off.

* * *

><p>"Men and Peter-"<p>

"Hey!" Peter protested.

"Fine, you can be a man too," James continued, rolling his eyes. "Men, this is possibly the most important day of all time."

"Why is this day different than any other April Fools Day we've spent at Hogwarts?" Remus asked in an annoyed tone.

"Were you holding Sirius's hand during my speech on any of those _other _April Fool's Days?"

Remus flushed deep crimson and released Sirius's hand; Sirius coughed awkwardly, and James glared.

"Right, as I was saying: this is our last April Fool's Day at Hogwarts. _Ever_. Our entire legacy as the Marauders depends on this prank. Should we fail, we will be known only by our greatest failure and not by the numerous plans that have been successful. We cannot let that happen! It is our duty- Sirius, would you pay attention?!"

Sirius embarrassedly stopped watching Remus and returned to James's speech.

"It'd be a lot easier if you could get to the point, mate." Sirius replied.

"I will not finish my important speech early just so you can go shag Moony in the nearest broom closet! Merlin, that's a bad mental image."

"I disagree with you there, Prongs," Sirius replied, winking.

"This has to be absolutely perfect. We need to make sure we brand the Marauders' identity to the walls of Hogwarts forever!" James concluded.

"Wait, you don't mean that literally, do you?" Remus asked worriedly.

"Of course I mean it literally, Moony! How else are we supposed to be remembered forever?"

"Uh, Prongs, I don't think this is something we should leave on the walls forever. Maybe for a day, or a week. I don't think I'd want it there _forever_."

"What exactly do you morons plan on embedding on the wall?" Remus asked.

"You'll find out soon enough, love."

"Sirius, do you have to use pet names around us?"

"You can call Lily whatever you want, I can call Remus whatever I want. If I want to refer to him as the most gorgeous-arsed, shaggable werewolf there ever was, I damn sure will."

Remus sighed. "I would actually prefer you didn't."

Sirius smirked. "Prefer I didn't what, most gorgeous-arsed shaggable werewolf there ever was?"

Remus growled. "Call me that. I'd prefer you didn't call me that."

"Well-"

"It's time to get started! The mission is a go!" James interrupted.

* * *

><p>"Padfoot and Moony, calling Padfoot and Moony. Come in, Padfoot and Moony!" James spoke urgently into his wand.<p>

"Padfoot and Moony to Prongs, we are listening. Provide Instruction," came the reply.

"Wormtail, are you in? Wormtail? Come in Wormtail!"

"It seems Wormtail has aborted the mission."

"We're on our own then, men. Prongs has the west corridor. Padfoot, patrol the east; make sure we're clear of any authority. Moony, you enter from above."

"Above?! Are you serious?" Remus's voice spoke.

"Of course not, you're with Sirius! Okay, Padfoot and Moony, exchange duties. Moony, patrol the east corridor. Padfoot, you're high flying."

Sirius whooped excitedly.

"If all goes according to plan, I will meet the two of you just inside the Great Hall in about five minutes. Good luck, men."

James ended wand communication.

"Lucky for us nothing ever goes according to plan," Remus groaned.

"That's the spirit, Moony!" Sirius said, clapping him on the back.

* * *

><p>James snuck down the west corridor humming a song he felt was incredibly spy-ish. He knelt behind statues and ducked just inside of doorways, completely inconspicuous to the world. It was amazing; no one saw him, no one could touch him-<p>

"James, what are you doing?"

James jumped and fell to the floor in a heap. Lily was standing above him.

"Ah, Lily dear! Nothing, absolutely nothing," he coughed.

She examined him for a second. "Well, since there is _clearly _nothing going on, I will just head in the opposite direction, pretending I saw nothing, and see you later. Happy April first," she said and turned with a wink.

James stared dumbfounded at her retreating form. "I bloody love that girl."

* * *

><p>Remus walked normally down the east corridor, completely uncomfortable with his situation. The other boys still refused to tell him what the prank was, and he hadn't seen Peter since their first meeting this morning. Peter never missed a prank, especially when it was almost completely under James's command. It was quite suspicious, the way he had taken to acting lately.<p>

Remus reached the end of the hall and gripped his wand. "Moony to Padfoot and Prongs. All clear."

"All clear here, too. Padfoot, commence flying," James replied.

"On it." Remus could practically hear the smirk on Sirius's face.

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><p>Remus and James emerged from their separate wings simultaneously and ran into the Great Hall. They looked up and saw Sirius dropping slowly from the ceiling. Miraculously, none of the other students had noticed him. Remus looked around to see how Sirius was descending so slowly, and with a sigh of relief, he noticed Peter in his assigned spot. He was gently lowering Sirius at a speed that was nearly unnoticeable.<p>

James gave them the sign and Peter lowered him a little faster. Sirius pulled a vial out of his pocket, extended his hand, and tossed the contents in it at the wall. A large cloud of purple erupted and enveloped the wall. Large gasps echoed around the Great Hall and the individuals located nearest the cloud were attacked with coughing fits. The Marauders ran to a concealed corner near the doors and waited.

Remus watched, at first in awe and then in horror, as the cloud lifted. On the wall, there were four humanoid figures slightly bent over. Remus counted four moons, but not the moon that normally instilled fear within his heart. No, much worse than that. Arses. And he _recognized _them. Each arse had the personal signature of its owner. He read over them, disbelieving, and his gaze lingered on one in the middle. _Moony _was written across very familiar cheeks in his own elegant handwriting.

The Great Hall erupted in girly screams, much laughter, and a few wolf-whistles. Remus felt someone grab his arm as the boys made a break for it. Turning as he ran, he noticed Dumbledore's concealing smile and the look of pure fury etched across McGonagall's face. He felt Lily was a bit of a traitor as she sat at the Gryffindor table and tried to hide her laughter and seem indifferent to her boyfriend's antics.

The boys reached the door. "Every man for himself!" James yelled, laughing. Remus saw Peter disappear into rat form and scurry into a small alcove. Sirius grabbed Remus's hand, and they sped away. Remus relived the scene from a few months before as he and Sirius ran as fast as possible towards the Room of Requirement, once again hiding from a livid McGonagall. As he took in the situation, he erupted in laughter, thoroughly enjoying the prank, the Marauders, and Sirius Black.

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><p><strong>Good prank? What do you think? I liked Lily in this chapter. I didn't write her out to be as...mean as normal. I think some of these next chapters are the ones I envisioned to be darker and less fun. As much as I hate to do that, we can't forget that the Marauders schooling was in the middle of a war. I'll see you in the next chapter!<strong>


	22. Chapter 21

**Sorry it took so long.**

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><p>Sirius dreamed of a memory.<p>

A dog raced around the Black estate, legs flying over the ground and thoroughly enjoying the way the wind drew his ears back. There was something about being Padfoot that made Sirius feel absolutely free. When he was Padfoot, he didn't worry about how everyone looked at him; he didn't worry about maintaining his regal air to impress everyone. When a girl looked at him, he didn't have to think about making her want more. Being a dog was just…different.

He came to a turn in the bend and sped up as he raced around a tree that had been standing for hundreds of generations thanks to the inbred Blacks and their incessant need to remain in the same place. He didn't completely mind that fact; 12 Grimmauld Place may have been surrounded by other houses, but the backyard was enchanted. No one else saw it besides the Black family.

The mansion appeared in the distance, and Sirius saw this as the final leg of his race. He put forth his last bit of energy and burst into view.

A man stood by the house. He was very straight and tall. He had pale skin and nearly black eyes that seemed built of fear. A permanent sneer shone cruelly across his face from having done it so much. His black hair hung handsomely around his eyes. He glared at the dog coming around the bend as though it were an impurity he intended to remove. He raised his wand carelessly.

Sirius's heart began beating wildly. Killed by his own father while in animagus form. Would his body stay a dog forever, or would he become human again as soon as the curse hit? It would be forever a mystery to him. He braced for impact and took his last breath.

"Father! What are you doing?!" a voice yelled. Sirius opened his eyes and saw his brother, Regulus, running towards him. Regulus, the younger brother, had seemed older for the last few years. Sirius's rebellion towards his parents had caused Regulus to become the more responsible brother. He was Sirius's complete opposite in personality; Regulus was serious, whereas Sirius was the farthest thing from serious possible.

Regulus knelt down and patted Padfoot's head.

"This…this creature is yours?" Orion asked coolly.

"Yes, Father," Regulus answered. Another difference between the two brothers: Regulus was obedient and respectful, while Sirius was defiant and, well, Sirius.

Orion stared at him. "Get rid of the mutt," he answered. Then he turned and went into the house.

Regulus stared at Padfoot. "You've got to be more careful, Sirius," he said harshly, and then he followed his father inside.

That was years ago. Sirius still wondered how Regulus knew.

The dream changed.

Regulus's older face appeared in Sirius's vision. He was standing in the entrance to a cave; a stormy sea raged behind him, waves crashing upon any surface they could reach.

Regulus looked worn and scared, but his face was set with determination. His hair blew about him in all directions, and every part of his body screamed defiance. He looked nothing like the obedient, well-behaved Regulus that Sirius had known for most of his life.

"Sirius," Regulus called steadily, "I'm sorry about what happened this summer. I'm sorry about the Death Eaters and Voldemort. I should've known. You were always smarter than I was; I should've realized you wouldn't do something like usurp our parents' wishes without good reason. I'm going to make what I've done right." He pulled up his sleeve and revealed the Dark Mark there. "This isn't going to control me anymore. I know what I have to do. Sirius, I…I think this is it for me. You were a good brother; you set an example for what I should have done. I'm sorry. But I have to do this; I have to make it right. Don't…don't forget about me. We'll always be brothers, no matter what." Regulus was there for a moment longer, and then the vision went dark.

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><p>Sirius shot up. Sunlight streamed through the window, and the other boys were nowhere to be found. He was breathing harshly. What was Regulus doing? He had to find out; he had to stop him.<p>

Sirius yanked on some clothes and then ran down the stairs and through the Common Room. It was empty. He raced down more flights of stairs and down hallways, but there was no one to be found. The large front doors stood wide open; Sirius could see a large crowd packed around the grounds. He heard crying and gasping and many whispers floating around. Words like _dead_ and _murdered_ reached his ears. He tried not to panic as he pushed through the swarm to see the main attraction.

He found James in the crowd. "Padfoot," James said as he tried to grab his arm, shaking his head. Sirius looked in his eyes and gently removed his arm from his best friend's grasp. He kept moving. Finally, he found an opening where adults stood around in horror. Sirius gazed upon the grass and found just what he feared.

He looked much more like the Regulus that Sirius had always known, but Sirius could still see those traces of defiance on his pale form. His hair was splayed beautifully across the grass behind him, and his eyes were closed peacefully. He might've been asleep, but Sirius knew better. _Dead_ and _murdered_ still rang loudly in his ears.

Regulus had done it; he had done whatever he intended to do to set things right. He had died because of it. Sirius was too late.

He fell to the ground next to his brother. His heart blazed like fire and tears stung his eyes as he tried to hold them back. Someone walked slowly out of the crowd and sat next to him. Familiar arms reached out and embraced him.

Sirius stopped fighting the tears. He cried onto Remus's shoulder about his family, the war, and his brother who was far braver than Sirius had ever known.

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><p><strong>My heart breaks for Sirius and Regulus's relationship. Even though they rarely saw eye to eye, they were still brothers. According to Jo, Regulus died when he was eighteen. I knocked it down to sixteen or seventeen so we could see how this affected Sirius. I see Regulus as somewhat of a skilled Legilimens and Occlumens because of his more obedient nature. He can hide his emotions well, why not his thoughts too? Regulus contacted Sirius through Legilimency to warn him about going to look for Voldemort's locket in the cave. I feel that once the Dark Lord found out, he would have sent Regulus's dead body to Hogwarts as a spirit-breaker for Sirius and to warn any others that disobeying him has grave consequences.<strong>


	23. Chapter 22

**No reviews on the last chapter...so disappointing.:(**

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><p>At Regulus's funeral, Sirius was turned away at the door by his own parents.<p>

For a week after this, Sirius refused to leave the dormitory. He would lie in his bed and not move; his sheets stayed tucked perfectly around him, evidence that he rarely moved. He would go to the bathroom and shower during the day while the other Marauders were attending classes. He silently refused invitations for food, but Remus was almost positive that Sirius snuck to the kitchen during the middle of the night by the quiet shuffling he heard quite often.

He was finally brought out of his trance when James called him pathetic.

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><p>"Mate, when are you going to get back to life?" No reply.<p>

"This is silly. It's not your fault; there's nothing you could have done." Silence.

"Damn it, Padfoot! You're worse than a fucking hormonal bird! This is pathetic!" For the first time in a week, Sirius turned his cold gray eyes to James.

"_Pathetic_?" He croaked. "My brother is dead! My _family _wouldn't let me into his funeral! Don't call me pathetic."

"You look pretty damn pathetic to me."

"Well excuse me for not meeting your expectations. Let's take the mickey out of the guy who killed his brother," Sirius accused sarcastically.

"Don't start that with me, Sirius. You didn't kill him. You know damn well we've given you enough time to mope. Regulus did not want you to stop living just because he did. If you were supposed to do that, you would have been the same person. You're not; get up and stop acting like this."

"I don't want to. I could've done something; I could've saved him. It's my fault."

"That's enough," James said as he yanked Sirius's arm. "Do you hear me? That's enough. I'm not going to let my best friend do this to himself. We're all worried about you. I'm worried about you; Peter's worried about you. Remus is worried _sick _about you." Sirius's face soured with guilt at this statement. "Get up and get back to your life. I won't let you do this anymore. You have Transfiguration in twenty minutes." James walked out the door.

Sirius stared after him for a moment and then slowly climbed out of his bed to get ready for class.

* * *

><p>It had been two weeks. Two weeks since Sirius had spoken directly to Remus. Remus had gone from worried to scared to terrified. He had thought that a little time was all Sirius needed, but things had only gotten worse. Sirius had gotten out of bed and gone back to his normal schedule, but normal Sirius was just about as far gone as Regulus was. There was no laughter, no jokes, no flirting with Remus. Sirius sat down in the evenings and actually did his homework. When James asked him if he wanted to plan a prank, Sirius politely declined. He spoke only when spoken too, and everything he said was <em>serious<em>. He had black circles under his eyes and his face seemed more aged and rugged. Remus could see that he had lost the boy Sirius, but the man Sirius was still under there somewhere. It hurt Remus that he couldn't seem to find that man, though. What bothered the werewolf the most was Sirius pointedly ignoring him. When things went wrong or terrified him, Sirius had a bad habit of taking things to the extreme. Remus didn't want to know exactly what Sirius was thinking, but he knew it was his job to stop it before it was too late.

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><p>Remus decided that Sirius had had plenty of time by the middle of May. He marched up to their room to find him sitting at the windowsill watching first and second years play in the afternoon sun.<p>

"Sirius," he called, but the boy didn't move. Remus sighed. "Sirius, don't ignore me. It just makes me want to hit you."

Sirius turned his head slightly so that he could see Remus out of the corner of his eye but not have to look at him completely.

"Sirius, what the hell is going on? Why won't you talk to me?"

"I—We have to break up," he answered blearily.

Remus was expecting something like this. "And why is that?"

"Because—because…I don't love you."

"We both know that's not true. Now why don't we just go to the kitchen, have some tea, and talk this ov—"

Sirius snapped his head around to meet Remus's gaze completely, his eyes blazing. "Ah, but you see Remus, if difference of opinion could be settled over a fucking cup of tea, there'd be no war."

"Calm down, Padfoot. I just want to talk. I know you're hurting right now; I want to help."

Pain was etched across Sirius's face. His voice broke. "What do you want me to do, Remus? There's a bloody war going on out there! I can't protect you; I couldn't even protect my little brother! I can't promise we'll be together forever, growing old, sitting on the porch swing and watching our puppies grow up. Not when death could come visiting any day."

"Sirius, that's not what I'm asking for," Remus replied calmly.

"Then what do you want, Rem?" Sirius asked exasperatedly. "I'm sorry I can't give you more. I don't want to just be fuck buddies, but I can't promise a future. All I can give you is me, and you deserve much more."

"You can give me everything I want—the whole world."

"How?"

"You are my world."

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><p>Remus could see that most of the old Sirius would be gone forever. Experiencing his brother's death had really changed him. Remus loved the new Sirius just as much as the boy he had fallen in love with. This Sirius was smarter, worked harder, and expressed his love with more than just casual flirting. He was a man. But oftentimes, Remus could still see the boy in Sirius's eyes. Every time he laughed or made an occasional joke, Remus could see that the boy was still there. Remus <em>knew<em> he was still there when he watched Sirius's face light up when James pulled a small prank with a dungbomb in the Gryffindor Common Room one night. He realized that more and more of Sirius's old personality traits would come back and mix in with his newer, more mature traits; Sirius just needed some time to adjust. And Remus wouldn't love him any less.

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><p><strong>I hate to say this, but it's true... <em>One more chapter left<em>... Thank you all for sticking around so long.**


	24. Chapter 23

**Here it is: _the last chapter_.**

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><p>Sirius walked into the Great Hall for the last time with his head held high. He was Sirius Black, lost and hurt or not, and he was going to damn sure make his last appearance at Hogwarts memorable. Pouting and sulking quietly would not give younger birds something to sigh wantonly over for the next few years of their schooling careers. To hell with his sad feelings, at least for the next hour or so; he was going to be the Sirius Black that turned the lustful heads of both girls and boys whenever he walked by. He had a reputation to uphold.<p>

Sirius observed the room and those eating in it; well, mostly they were eating. Others seemed to be trying to choke themselves over their last bit of food from Hogwarts. At least most of them would get to eat more of the house elves' cooking when they returned in a few months; Peter seemed to be having a rather touching goodbye with the strips of bacon wrapped between his fingers. On second thought, perhaps it was not touching at all but more than slightly disturbing.

He continued to swagger regally toward the Gryffindor table when he heard his name called in an even, drawling tone.

"Black."

Sirius turned slowly and tried to bite down his annoyance. "I suppose you'd be talking to me, then, Snivellus?"

Severus sneered at him. "I would have to be talking to you, wouldn't I? Seeing as your brother's _dead_."

Sirius hid the swelling rage rising in his chest. He kept his face calm and arrogant, looking every bit like the old Sirius Black; those who truly knew him, though, could see that the old Sirius Black would have snapped at such a comment, while this new man knew how to bite his tongue.

Remus had been watching from a few feet away at the table. He wished that the old Sirius would reappear for just a moment and beat the smug smirk right off of Severus's face for that foul comment. At the same time, Remus was immensely proud of the man he loved for having grown up so much this year.

"Can I help you with something, _Mr. Snape_, perhaps some shampoo or maybe a breath mint?" he sneered. "Or did you just call me over here to be rude?"

Severus's stare became cold and calculating. "Actually, I just wondered if perhaps you intended to fill your brother's post…within the Death Eaters."

Sirius snapped. "You fuck-brained arse! That's a lie! You wanted me to feel that the Death Eaters won, that you beat me for once. You can't beat me any other way; might as well rub it in that Regulus died and there was no way for me to save him. But you're wrong; my brother died because he fought to defy your _dark lord_. He died, but his trouble wasn't wasted; he was a sacrifice, a martyr for the greater good. And you and your little Voldemort groupies here _will _be defeated. I promise you that."

Severus glared at him. "Who will back you? Huh? Who will join your losing army?! You are alone, Black! Face it! The Death Eaters are far more powerful than your precious Order will ever be! So, who will back you?" he sneered, his crooked teeth glinting in the artificial sunlight from the Great Hall ceiling.

"I will!" yelled a voice. He looked over and Lily Evans was by his side, holding his hand in camaraderie and defiance to Severus's outburst. Severus's face soured.

"So will I," said James as he took Lily's other hand.

"I will back him," Remus said with a calm fury as he grasped Sirius's other hand.

"And we will," Marlene took Remus's hand, towing a defiant and angry Mary next to her.

"So will we." Alice and Frank came to Mary's side.

Sirius grinned, his heart touched by the friends that stuck with him. "You see, Snivellus? It seems we have traded places. I am not alone at all; you, on the other hand, seem to be by yourself. That doesn't give much encouragement for the outcome of the other side, now does it?"

Sirius took one last look at the angry face of Severus Snape as it left the Great Hall and did not see it again for nearly fifteen years.

Mysteriously, Peter had seemed to disappear shortly after Severus had first called Sirius to attention.

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><p>A while later, Sirius walked up to the dormitory and found Remus solemnly packing his things away inside his trunk.<p>

"There you are, Moony. I've been looking for you. I thought maybe we could pack together."

"Oh yeah, sure. I'm not quite close to being done yet."

They packed in silence for a moment and then Remus let out a loud sigh. Sirius turned to look at him.

"Sirius, do you remember our very first night here?"

Sirius grinned. "Yeah, I do seem to remember a flailing body falling on top of me in the middle of my dreams." Remus laughed. "Something about Peter's snores being a man-eating monster, right?"

"Yeah, and you promised you'd always be there to protect me."

"And did I keep my promise?"

"Yes; I think for the most part you did."

"Remus, I want you to live with me in my flat," Sirius said suddenly.

"Sirius, I'm glad you finally said that because I intended to come and live there whether you wanted me to or not," Remus replied seriously.

Sirius grinned. "And that's why I love you."

"Damn straight."

"Definitely _not _straight, Rem, if you catch my drift." Sirius winked.

Remus laughed. "No, you're right. Definitely not straight."

Sirius placed the last item in his trunk and closed it with a firm snap. "I can't believe it; we're all grown up. For so many years this place has been home to me. We've been through everything here. I just…I can't believe it's _over_. The pranks, the adventures, the fun; hell, the Marauders were _born and made _in this very room. I—I just…wow. It's a lot to take in."

"I suppose it's time to move on to new adventures. That thought doesn't really make me feel any less sad, though. I still want to sob and scream and refuse to be taken away from here; but I guess that doesn't make me very manly."

Sirius embraced him tightly. "Fuck being a man; you cry and scream all you want, love."

"Thanks, Padfoot." For a moment they stood like that, relishing each other's warmth. "So…are you ready to grow up and move off into the real world?" Remus asked sadly.

Sirius thought for a moment. "Let's be boys today; the real world can find us tomorrow."

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><p><strong>The end. My gosh...I am so sad right now. I kind of feel like Sirius; I can't believe it's over. I put a little of my own emotions about graduating and moving on with life in Sirius's little speech there at the end. I have decided to do something like an epilogue for closure (mainly my own closure, not really any of yours). It's not really an epilogue, but more of a description...you know, I'm not really sure how to describe it. I guess you'll see when you read it.<strong>


	25. Epilogue

Well, we all know what happens in the next few years of life as the Marauders. The boys join the Order, Remus has trouble finding jobs because he's a werewolf, James and Lily have a son, Peter betrays their location to Voldemort, James and Lily die, Sirius is accused, Peter gets away, a whole bunch of lives fall apart, and then Harry turns into the savior of the wizarding world. Etc., etc., we've all heard this story hundreds of times by now.

Wow…I can't believe I was actually able to turn that whole thing into something that made Harry Potter sound boring and outdone. _You hear that, Jo Rowling? I'm coming for you! Look out, I was able to make your adventures full of torture and genocide sound boring! Muahahahaha! _My goodness, I'm going to get struck by lightning for making such a ludicrous statement.

Anyways, down to the whole description thing. I showed some family life at the beginning of the story with Remus, Peter, Sirius, James, and Lily, but there are a few more things I want to show. I guess I kind of have my own opinions, or theories, if you will, about the lives of the different people in the Marauder era.

Remus is portrayed a lot by people as a weak and super sensitive guy that cries over everything. No offense to any of you, but I think that is completely ridiculous. Yes, guys can cry and it is fine if they feel the need to cry sometimes. But this is _Remus freaking Lupin _we're talking about here. This guy turns into a werewolf once a month; he has parents that are scared to death of him and don't know what to do about him because of this. He's probably one of the toughest characters ever written. He was able to deal with what he thought was three of his close friends murdered at the hands of his lover! And he kept on living! How the hell is that _weak_?! Okay, off of my soapbox now. I don't believe that Remus would have gone back to his parents; he felt like he was a burden to them, and as awful as it is, I think he was. I believe that the remainder of their lives was probably a lot more peaceful and less stressful without him, though of course they would've missed him and wondered what had happened to him. I am also very much against the Tonks/Remus relationship. She's a wonderful woman whom I would admire greatly had she not loved and married Remus when Jo Rowling should have known full well that Remus belonged with Sirius! I feel that Remus would have been very sad for the rest of his life because of all the sorrow he experienced. I wrote a poem about it; it's posted on my profile if you wish to read it (and here would be the shameless promoting of my other stories…).

Peter is shown a lot as the cowardly bad guy. I tried to show him a little differently in OTSATM. He couldn't have always been a coward; Gryffindor is the house of the brave. I think that once upon a time Peter was very brave in the face of evil, and he chose his mother over his friends. Think about it: what would you do? Some of you would choose your friends; some of you would choose your parents. It all depends on which you value more. Could there have been a better way for Peter to handle this? Of course! Handing your friends over to death is wrong no matter which way you look at it; I just want everyone to see that Peter is not just an evil person that dreamed of betraying his best friends ever since he met them. He was honorable and bravely defended his mother at first. I think when he gave over to Severus he was very ashamed. He was missing at times where his friends could've used his help; he couldn't face them because he didn't like what he was doing. I believe that, eventually, when he met Voldemort, he became more cowardly. The longer he was around the Death Eaters, the more he became like them. The Peter Pettigrew that Harry knew would have been severely different from the Marauder that the boys knew in their school days. Hate all you want on the scumbag who sold out his friends and wasn't even slightly haunted by the way Harry's face looked almost identical to James's. But remember that there had once been a younger Peter that was brave and uncorrupted in his Maraudering ways. And just in case you never figured it out, Peter was the mysterious character with Lucius and Regulus in chapter 2.

Sirius was pretty straightforward. He is handsome and arrogant, and he needed something big and tragic in his life to make him grow up. He had a complicated childhood and was actually a great role model considering he left his own family because he knew that they were wrong. Of course he wasn't perfect, but if you really look at him, he was a bloody amazing person. He didn't deserve everything that happened to him. It still makes me sad. He's my favorite character. I'm really glad he was the first person to ever break out of Azkaban. Take that, McGoogles! Sirius is not even close to being stupid! He is BRILLIANT! I'm still quite mad at Jo for killing him; though, I suppose, I'm really quite mad at her for killing a lot of my favorite characters. But I love her anyways; I guess that's what great writing can do to a person…

James was also pretty straightforward. I've always admired him for the way he stuck around and never took his eyes from Lily. He loved her for years while she openly despised him; that kind of love is amazing. One day I will find a man who looks like Sirius and loves like James…

Lily is kind of different too. Jo shows her to be very nice and beloved by all in her books. I think most of us fanfictioners make Lily out to be a crazy, mean, control freak quite a lot. I really don't mean to write her to make her seem bitchy; it just happens sometimes. I actually love Lily. She went through a lot growing up as a muggleborn, and then she gave her life for her son. She was a really great person.

Marlene is mostly just a side character added in to give a little more depth to the story. She finds the personality that she likes and mimics it; this story was Sirius's personality. She is able, however, to become her own person at times when it is required, like when she got Lily to quit sulking and go find James. I think it would be interesting to write or read something from her point of view sometime.

Mary was also just a side character. She was definitely not my favorite. I see her as being a bit stuck up; she also lacks her own personality, but instead of making a different personality suit her, like Marlene does, she kind of feeds off of the people around her. Mostly, that is Marlene. I felt like at the end of the story, she lets her anger make her into more of an individual. She was attacked by one of the younger death eaters because she came from a family of "blood traitors" and this fueled her to greatly oppose Voldemort and later join the Order. I find it very significant that Mary and Marlene stood against Severus with Sirius there at the end because it shows that, while the focus was mainly on the Marauders and Lily, other people actually grew and changed during this time period too.

Alice would have been shown a lot more if the story had focused more on James and Lily. Since it was mostly Sirius and Remus-centric, I left her and Frank to their snogging (which I'm sure they greatly appreciated). Since I write Alice as Lily's best friend whenever I feel that Lily needs a best friend, Alice would have definitely been there more in a Jily fic. I have this theory that Alice is the much younger sister of Fabian, Gideon, and Molly Prewett; Jo just kept this fact secret. Fabian and Gideon were killed, and then Alice was tortured into insanity by Bellatrix; it was too painful for Molly to talk about, so no one ever knew that Alice was related to her. _I'm on to your secrets, Jo! _…no, don't stomp on my fantasies. Let me dream their relationships as I will…

And finally, Severus. The most complex character ever to walk through the wizarding world. I feel bad for him, and then other times, I don't. A lot of what happened to him, he brought upon himself. I think that after calling Lily a mudblood and losing her friendship, he sank into a deep depression. He wasn't himself and he was too far gone to try to change anything. He felt badly for what he had done and he still deeply cared about her; he just didn't know how to fix anything. It is my belief that after he left Hogwarts, Severus disappeared for a while. He sank into the shadows and served Voldemort in a lot of ways that didn't involve him contacting the outside world. Except for a few times like when he overheard Trelawney's prophecy, he tried to stay to himself. I really feel for him. He was an amazing character, and I can honestly say that I was truly shocked by the real Severus Snape that was introduced in Deathly Hallows. It brought me around to a completely new level of respect for him. I wrote a story about his and Lily's relationship and how it quickly crumbled; it is also available on my profile (more shameless promoting; but don't worry, the two pieces I promoted are actually my favorites out of the stories I've written. I don't really know why; they just are.)

Thank you so much for sticking with OTSATM until the very end. I am sad to see it go, but it's time to move on. I appreciate the love and encouragement that you have all poured out to me through reviews, follows, and favorites. It has meant a lot. I hope to begin writing something new soon, as I have numerous ideas floating around in my head. Until then, you can read some of my other works located on my profile and other Wolfstar stories. I love you all so much!

Signing off for the last time on OTSATM, Jada


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